PAPER SHELL WALNUTS 29 



between the old hard-shell varieties and a nut 

 that was practically without its protecting shell. 



One of the thin-shelled new walnuts was intro- 

 duced under the name of the Santa Rosa Soft 

 Shell. It was produced by the usual method of 

 selective breeding, and in producing it, of course, 

 other qualities were in mind besides the thinness 

 of shell. In particular, selection was made for 

 early and abundant bearing, whiteness and pal- 

 atability of meat, with absence of tannin — it 

 being tannin which gives the brown color and 

 bitter taste to the older or ordinary walnuts. 

 The perfected Santa Rosa may be depended 

 upon to give much larger crops than the French 

 variety known as the Franquette. 



It should be explained, however, that there are 

 two varieties of the Santa Rosa. One blooms 

 with the ordinary walnut trees, while the other, 

 like the Franquette, blooms two weeks later, 

 generally escaping the frost that sometimes 

 affect the early bloomer. In producing the new 

 soft shell, nuts of the ordinary walnut were 

 tested from many sources. There is great varia- 

 tion among these nuts, and some were found 

 that were almost entirely without shells. One 

 seedling had nuts with the meats half exposed; 

 that is, with shell covering a portion of its sur- 

 face, suggesting the abortive stone of the little 



