BULLETIN 231] WALNUT CULTURE IN CALIFORNIA. 211 



the former nature. The best Royal hybrid roots, in addition to giving 

 trees upon them of exceptional vigor, are also particularly adapted for 

 planting on rather wet, heavy soils on account of the blood of the eastern 

 black walnut which they contain. Well tested Royal roots are probably 

 the best for such soil. On the other hand, the vigor of the best Royal 

 root enables them to also do well on dryer soils or without irrigation, 

 so that they have a wide range of adaptation. 



PLANTING THE NUTS IN PLACE. 



A few years ago a very popular idea prevailed, especially in the 

 northern part of the State, that the only proper way to plant a walnut 

 orchard was to start black walnut seedlings directly from the nut in 

 the spots which the trees were to occupy in the orchard, so that these 

 seedlings could be grafted to the desired variety of the English walnut 

 later on without ever disturbing the taproot by digging and trans- 

 planting. In order to insure a good tree in each place, instructions 

 were given to plant about five nuts close together, like a hill of corn, 

 at each point where a permanent orchard tree was to stand. Out 

 of these five it was assumed that at least one would make a good tree, 

 and that this could be allowed to remain, while any others were to be 

 removed. A considerable acreage was planted and is still being 

 planted in the northern part of the State by this method. Its apparent 

 cheapness is attractive, and the idea of not disturbing the root has also 

 appealed to many quite strongly. In practice, however, we may say 

 without reservation that in no instance do we know of this method 

 proving practical or satisfactory. The objections to it are as follows: 

 In the first place, even though five or more nuts be planted in each 

 place, there are always in a large planting some hills where for one 

 reason or another no trees develop. Some will produce five good trees, 

 others none at all, and others one or more poor trees which do not 

 become fit to graft. In some of the hills very thrifty, rapid-growing 

 trees will develop, while in others the best tree will be of poor and 

 slow growth and thus at the end of the first year the planting will 

 consist of trees of great variation in size, with now and then a place 

 where there is no tree at all. This variation in the growth of the 

 trees becomes greater and more pronounced as years go on. Further- 

 more, in planting by this method, which presupposes that it will be a 

 number of years before any walnuts will be produced, some other crop 

 is ordinarily grown on the land in the mean time, and in cultivating 

 this crop between these little seedlings it is impossible to avoid a tree 

 here and there being run over, stepped on, or destroyed in one way 

 or another. Again a rabbit or squirrel may get one, some insect pest 

 another, and so the irregularity of the planting becomes more and more 



