Nuts 



207 



Europe eastwards to the Himalayas, Persia, and Upper Burma, and in some 

 of these countries is said to attain an age of 300 to 400 years. In favoured 

 parts of Britain it attains a height of over 60 ft., and a diameter of 2 to 

 4 ft. It has a whitish-grey bark, and leaves divided into from five to 

 thirteen smooth lance-shaped leaflets, which in a young or seedling stage 

 are serrate on the margins. The male flowers are borne in drooping 

 catkins 2-5 in. long, on the previous year's wood, and the female blossoms 

 are borne at the tips of the same shoots in clusters varying in number, 

 but usually two or three, as shown in the sketch (fig. 396). Several fine 



Fig. 396. 1, Shoot of Walnut; a, male flowers, b, b, female flowers. 2, Female flower. 3, Male flower. 

 4, Section of Walnut; c, seed, d, green husk, e, e, shell. 



examples are to be met with in the older market gardens of Middlesex, 

 and also in parts of Bucks and Hants. On well-established trees the crop 

 of nuts will vary from 6 or 7 bus. to as many as 60, according to the 

 season and soil. A bushel of walnuts with the husks on will yield about 

 % bus. of nuts; and 1 bus. will weigh about 40 Ib. and contain about 

 1000 nuts. A fair average price is about 6s. a bushel, but this price is 

 improved upon when the nuts are retailed at ten a penny. English 

 walnuts always fetch higher prices than foreign ones, of which about 

 70,000 bus. are imported annually. The nuts are gathered in a ripe and 

 unripe stage. In the latter case they are picked about the first or second 

 week of July, while the skins are still tender, and in this state the green 

 young fruits are largely used for pickling. When ripe, in autumn, the 



