WALNUTS 199 



in length. When the tree is in blossom with catkins 

 of male flowers five or six inches in length and 

 bright red spikes of female flowers glowing amidst 

 the foliage we have a very beautiful object in the 

 landscape, worthy of attention for beauty alone. The 

 Japanese walnut, even as a seedling tree, may begin 

 to bear when only five or six years of age. A num- 

 ber of hybrids between this species and our Ameri- 

 can butternut are already extant and the tree 

 breeders are actively increasing the number of such 

 walnut hybrids, with the promise that we shall have 

 some remarkably good nuts coming out of this work 

 in the next few years. The flavor of the kernel of 

 the Japanese walnut is almost too gentle. On the 

 other hand, some of our walnuts, like the black wal- 

 nut and the butternut, have a flavor that is too pro- 

 nounced for some palates. The merging of these 

 different species by way of hybridization will doubt- 

 less give us varieties which will make a nice balance, 

 their kernels possessing the most valuable qualities 

 of different parents. The Japanese walnut may be 

 grown farther north than any of our native walnuts, 

 if we may judge from the fact that in its native 

 country the tree is abundant in a climate which cor- 

 responds to that of Nova Scotia. While preferring 

 a deep, rich, well drained soil this walnut adapts 

 itself to soils which range from sand to clay. Wal- 

 nuts of different species seem to lend themselves to 

 grafting back and forth pretty readily, and the Jap- 

 anese species is particularly friendly in this regard. 

 Up to the present time I have not found any walnut 



