WALNUTS 185 



that the plain food value of the nut has been very 

 much enhanced even though the nuts have lost in 

 delicacy. This food value question is important to 

 such a degree that quite a new aspect is given to 

 walnut culture. A nut which is somewhat deficient 

 in flavor but large and beautiful in appearance is 

 made still more beautiful and less delicious by any 

 sort of bleaching process. French growers knew 

 better than to injure quality in favor of appearance 

 and for that reason -will hold the discriminating 

 trade. The general market in our country seems to 

 call for bleached blondes a little off in character. 

 The natural walnut shell has a subtle fragrance, 

 elusive but always present. It is like the bouquet of 

 a delicate wine. Bleaching lessens this "life aroma" 

 and leaves the kernel with a lowered quality like 

 that belonging to shelled kernels. The latter are 

 pretty good well worth the having, but not the 

 best. If a California walnut grower will select some 

 medium sized nut of highest quality and send it to 

 the eastern market unbleached but at higher price 

 than any bleached nut he will establish a sort of 

 market requiring no talking or advertising. 



In eastern North America little was known about 

 our Persian walnut trees at the beginning of this 

 century, although many seedling trees existed. Mr. 

 J. G. Rush, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is probably 

 the father of our eastern walnut growing. As a re- 

 sult of investigations by Mr. C. A. Reed, of the 

 Department of Agriculture at Washington, and by 

 members of nut growing associations, many hun- 



