Growing Nut Seedlings. 7 
Keep the pits out of the sun until the rains commence in the fall, then 
put them into a box about a foot deep, with openings at the bottom for 
drainage, and scatter sand or fine earth through them, putting about two 
inches on top, and place them under the eaves of a building on the south 
side, where they will get well soaked every time it rains. If there should 
be a long dry spell during the winter; water them a little. About March 
they will open and sprout. Then take a plow and open a deep furrow in 
loose, mellow ground, and, witha hoe, pull about two-thirds of the dirt 
back into the furrow, breaking the clods, and making it fine, the same as 
you would if you expected to plant onion seed there. Drop the sprouted 
pits in straight line, and cover two inches. On account of the extra work 
in preparing the ground, the trees will be large enough to bud in July. 
Another way is to spread out the pits on a smooth piece of 
ground and cover with sacks, and over these a layer of straw 
three or four inches thick to retain moisture. The pits may be 
planted out as soon as they crack open, although no harm will 
be done if they are allowed to lie until the sprouts are well out. 
Another method which has been especially recommended 
for treatment for almonds is the following: Lay boards upon 
the ground and cover them with an inch of sand; spread on this 
a layer of almonds and then another inch of sand, and so on. 
Keep the pile wet, and in three weeks of warm weather they will 
burst open. Plant in drills one inch deep and put over them a 
light coat of rotten straw. 
If from any cause the pits have become quite dry, they 
should be soaked in water two or three days before planting. 
In this way imported Myrobalan pits may be made to sprout, 
though even with such treatment many will refuse to germinate. 
For this reason imported seedlings are preferred to pits. 
Nut-Tree Seedlings.—In growing nut-tree seedlings much 
the same methods are followed as with pits of stone fruits. 
There are methods described in detail by California growers 
which should be given. As has been said, the nuts may be 
pianted at any time after ripening, in the milder parts of the 
State, if the grower will undertake the greater care and cultiva- 
tion. On some light soils where the rainfall is not excessive, 
this is not much trouble. Felix Gillet, of Nevada City, the well- 
known propagator of improved varieties of nut trees, gives this 
as his method:— 
The nuts may be planted as soon as gathered, though here in Nevada 
City it is too cold to plant them in the fall, for the frost in winter would 
surely lift the nuts right out of the ground. This is the way I employ in 
keeping and sprouting walnuts: I throw into the bottom of a box one inch 
deep of sand, then a layer of nuts; put in another inch of sand, and another 
layer of nuts, and so on to one or two inches from the top. Then water 
well with a sprinkler and water again during the winter whenever the sand 
gets too dry. Thesand has to be pretty well saturated with water, espe- 
cially from the first of January down to planting time, which is in February, 
March, or April, according to localities. The latter part of March or first 
week in April is best for Nevada City. The nuts are planted in drills and 
to a depth of two to three inches. 
