OUR NUT TREES 



as it was in the days of Don Quixote. The North 

 American Indians also eat the acorns of certain Oaks, 

 but so far as American people are concerned the 

 acorn will never come back as an article of food. The 

 nuts of the European and some other Beech-trees are 

 of fair size, sweet and good flavoured but are eaten 

 only sparingly by the peasantry. The seeds of the 

 Swiss Pine (Pinus cembra) are eaten in Europe, and 

 in Siberia they are a very important article of food. 

 The same is true of the Korean Nut-pine (P. kor- 

 aiensis). The kernels of the seeds of this Pine mixed 

 with honey make a delicious sweetmeat. In western 

 North America and in Mexico the seeds of several 

 species of Pine are eaten, including those of the 

 Sugar-pine (P. Lambertiana). 



I have earlier stated that the Ginkgo is probably 

 the oldest cultivated nut-tree and its history sup- 

 ports the statement. The European Hazel-nut has 

 been improved and such forms as the Cob and Filbert 

 established; probably the European Walnut (Juglans 

 regia) has also been subject to like treatment, but 

 for all practical purposes selection and cross-breeding 

 among nut-fruits has only quite recently begun to 

 receive attention. To-day, and especially in this 

 country, the culture and breeding of nut-trees 

 are beginning to receive some attention and the future 

 will see a tremendous advance in this work. In every 

 175 



