WALNUTS 361 



CULTURE OF NUTS 



There are a number of the native nut trees found in America, 

 and there is evidence that the ancient mound-builders who lived 

 in America before the Indians made use of the nuts as food. Be- 

 sides the native species there are a number of others introduced 

 from the old world. Not until recently were the native nuts im- 

 proved or brought under cultivation, but at present many orchards 

 of both native and foreign nuts have been started and are main- 

 tained with profit. 



Walnuts. The so-called English walnut is really a Persian 

 walnut, belonging to the species Juglans reqia. This is perhaps 

 the most popular walnut in the American markets. It is grown 

 extensively on the Pacific coast, especially in southern California. 

 There is little difficulty in its care and management, but the trees 

 sometimes fail to set fruit because of insufficient pollination. 

 When trees are isolated they are less likely to bear a crop. It is 

 probably for this reason that the. trees found throughout the 

 eastern states southward from Washington are seldom known to 

 boar full crops, but where real orchards are planted they are more 

 successful. 



The trees have deep tap roots and thrive well in soil composed 

 of deep loam underlaid with gravel, or with clay if not too hard. 



The trees are commonly propagated by seeds, but a few named 

 varieties are recognized, and these are propagated either by graft- 

 ing or budding. 



The distance between trees in the orchard is forty feet or more. 

 The distance should be increased in very rich soil as the trees will 

 become much larger. In commercial orchards clean tillage is 

 given at least until bearing of the first crop. Intercropping with 

 crops that require cultivation is advisable and will insure sufficient 

 tillage of the orchard. As the trees advance in age, the area is 

 often seeded to grass which may be used for grazing purposes. 

 The trees are seldom pruned except at the time of setting the 

 orchard, when they are caused to form their heads at a suitable 

 height of about four feet from the ground. 



There are two native walnuts found in our markets, Juglans 

 nigra or black walnut, and J. cinerea, or butternut. These are 

 grown in much the same way as the English walnut, but there 

 are fewer commercial orchards of these species. These are both 

 hardier than the English walnut and are consequently grown far- 

 ther north, being found in the northern states and Canada. 



