The Royal Black Walnut 17 



These considerations have become more pronounced as the native trees 

 have become exhausted, and the feasibility of growing the Black Walnut for tim- 

 ber purposes has often been urged on land owners and foresters. The principal 

 obstacle has been the rather slow growth of the tree, it requiring something more 

 than twenty years to produce sawable logs. These conditions excited the mind 

 of Mr. Burbank to the feasibility of hybridizing the Black Walnut (Juglans nigra ) 

 of the Mississippi valley with the California variety (J. California) with the hope 

 that the hybrid would produce a wood of fine quality and a tree which for rapidity 

 of growth would produce merchantable timber in half the time required by the 

 Black Walnut, a feat possible only by the patience; care, minute observation 

 and "know how" of a Burbank. Hybridization among the black walnuts is 

 impossible in the wild state. The Royal is the first case on record of its hav- 

 ing been accomplished artificially. 



It is the first hybrid of this kind ever brought to the attention of botanists 

 and horticulturists. The original tree was produced in 1878 by crossing the 

 American Black Walnut (Juglans nigra) and the California black walnut (J. 

 Calif ornica). The first year of its existence it outgrew all other trees in its vi- 

 cinity and at the end of the first season was fully four times as large as the most 

 rapid growers of its kind. All the trees grafted from it have maintained 

 this phenomenal development, holding its own with any other tree which 

 can be grown in temperate climates. Unlike many hybrids these trees produce 

 large nuts in the utmost profusion at an early age even while making such a 

 wonderful growth. The nuts are larger and of much better quality than ordinary 

 black walnuts which are not generally esteemed for food purposes. The great 

 value of this new creation is for lumber and fuel and incidentally as a shade and 

 ornamental tree of great beauty and grand proportions. It has proven to be 

 hardy wherever the common Black Walnut thrives. Practical lumbermen were 

 at first in doubt if such a rapid growing tree could produce dark, hard, close 

 grained wood of a silky fibre which would take a fine polish, but on trial the 

 wood has been found to have all the best qualities of the ordinary black walnut 

 lumber in perfection. The wood is exceedingly hard, close grained, takes a silky 

 polish and is even superior to ordinary black walnut lumber, more nearly re- 

 sembling the tropical mahogany. 



The Royal makes such an unequaled growth that it will be best to plant 

 the trees for timber growing about fifteen feet apart each way and when 

 six to ten years of age half of the trees should be removed to give the remainder 

 room. Cultivation during the first few years is of great advantage. Any ordin- 

 ary crop can be grown among the trees until they claim the whole space. 



Soil. The Royal as well as the Paradox will be found adapted to almost 

 any good average soil, providing there is not a stratum of rock or hardpan close 

 to the surface; and if proper care is taken to blast out the hard pan before plant- 

 ing, even such soil will develop strong, thrifty trees. As might naturally be in- 

 ferred, a deep, alluvial soil, moderately moist, will produce larger, finer and 

 thriftier trees in a shorter time than a soil not possessing these qualifications. 



