386 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA EXPERIMENT STATION. 



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APPENDIX. 



WALNUTS IN FRANCE. 



We have thought it worth while to present excerpts from a trans- 

 lation of the following excellent article by Mr. F. Lousourd, taken 

 from Revue Horticole, volume 83, 1911, pages 310, 329, 358, 378. 



"We prefer to study the varieties by regions and have divided them 

 into three groups. 



1. Nuts of the Southeast. 



2. Nuts of Central France. 



3. Varieties Belonging to Various Regions. 



This classification has some advantages; the varieties cultivated in 

 the same region prove to be similar, and the comparison of character- 

 istics is thus easy. 



NUTS OF THE SOUTHEAST. 



Mayette. The Mayette walnut is large, slightly elongated, widened 

 and flattened at the base, even slightly depressed toward the peduncle. 

 It easily stands upright on its base, and this characteristic alone 

 suffices to distinguish it from other varieties of the Isere to which it 

 has some resemblance. The shell, half-hard, of a light amber color, 

 terminates at the apex in an obtuse, somewhat pronounced point; it 

 protrudes slightly along the suture of the valves from the lower third 

 as far as the point. The average dimensions of the walnut are as 

 follows : length 44 mm., breadth 34 mm. ; it weighs, dry, from 10 to 

 11 grammes. A hectolitre (2.85 bushels) of the dry walnuts weighs 

 from 30 to 33 kilogrammes (66 to 73 pounds). 



The origin of this variety is very obscure. It gets its name from the 

 name Mayet who, according to some, imported it from Naples and 

 according to others obtained it from seed. It has been cultivated nearly 

 one hundred and fifty years in the department of Isere, where it is 

 located within the cantons of Tullins, Vinay and Saint-Marcellin. It 

 is found on the well exposed terraces bordering both banks of the Isere 

 from Moirans to Vinay. 



Of all the varieties of walnuts cultivated in France, the Mayette is 

 the most beautiful. The fine, fair shell, well filled, contains a kernel 

 possessing the delicate flavor of the hazelnut. The nut for dessert is 

 par excellence, and when the crop is light the merchants dispute over 

 the price. It always sells for a greater price than other varieties ; 

 in an ordinary year it brings from 75 to 80 francs per 100 kilogrammes, 



