348 NUTS. 



Fruit cylindric, one and a quarter of an inch long, and nearly 

 half an inch in diameter. Color maroon, or an intense blue 

 black at full maturity. Flesh juicy, rich, sugary, with a sprightly 

 vinous flavour. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



NUTS. 



THE EUROPEAN WALNUT, (Juglans regia, L. ; Noyer of the 

 French; Walnaussbaum, German; Nocil, Italian ; and Nogal, 

 Spanish ;) better known here as the Madeira Nut, is a fine lof- 

 ty growing tree, with a handsome spreading head, and bearing 

 crops of large and excellent nuts, enclosed like those of our native 

 black walnut in a simple husk. It stands the winter very well 

 here, and to the south of this it would undoubtedly be a profit- 

 able fruit to plant for the market. The fruit in a green state 

 is very highly esteemed for pickling, and the great quantities 

 of the ripe nuts annually imported and sold here, prove the es- 

 timation in which they are held for the table. There are seve- 

 ral varieties reputed to be of rather finer quality, which, how- 

 ever, have not displaced the original species, even in the gar- 

 dens of Europe, and have not yet borne fruit here. 



This tree is usually propagated by the seed, and transplant- 

 ed from the nurseries when from three to six feet high. But it 

 may also be grafted, with due care, on the common hickory 

 nut. 



The HICKORY NUT (Carya alba,) or shell-bark, the Black 

 "Walnut (Juglans nigra,) and the Butternut, (J. cincrea,) are 

 native nut-bearing trees, common in our forests, and too well 

 known to need description here. There are occasionally found 

 in the woods, accidental varieties of the shell-bark hickory, of 

 much larger size and finer flavour than the common species, 

 which are highly worthy of cultivation, as we confess, to our 

 own taste, this nut is much siiperiour to the European walnut. 

 There is indeed no doubt, that with a little care in reproduction 

 by seed, the shell-bark may be trebled in size, and greatly im- 

 proved in flavour. 



The FILBERT, (Noisette, of the French ; Nasslaum, German ; 

 Avellano, Spanish ; is an ' improved variety of the common ha- 

 zel-nut of the woods of Europe, (Corylus avella.na, L.) The 

 fruit is three or four times as large as that of our common ha- 

 zel-nut, and from its size and excellent flavour is admired for 

 the dessert. The old Spanish filbert common in many of our 



