

ON PAPER-SHELL WALNUTS 



given period as either of the parent species. The 

 leaves are quite hairy on both sides, even more so 

 than those of the Japanese parent. The branches 

 are inclined to droop. 



The nuts of the Japanese walnut have an 

 exceedingly hard shell. The meat of the nut, how- 

 ever, is delicious, perhaps equaling that of any 

 other nut, with the exception of some varieties of 

 the pecan. But it is very difficult to get the meats 

 from the shell, as they are usually broken in 

 cracking the nut. 



There is, however, a form of the Japanese wal- 

 nut which is so variant that it is sometimes re- 

 garded as a distinct species, under the name of 

 Juglans codriformis, but which I think not cor- 

 rectly entitled to this rank, inasmuch as the two 

 forms are closely similar as to general appearance 

 and growth. The chief difference is in the nuts, 

 which in the cordiformis are usually heart-shaped, 

 somewhat similar in appearance to the form of 

 the central chestnut where these nuts grow three 

 in a burr. The nut is exceedingly variable, not 

 only in size but in form and thinness of shell. 

 Some individual trees bear nuts that are six times 

 as large as those borne on other trees in the neigh- 

 borhood. The shell is much thinner than that of 

 the Japanese walnut, and the meat is of the same 

 excellent quality. 



[43] 





