234 THE NUT CULTUE7ST. 



are rather plentiful at this time. There are rarely any 

 considerable number of bushels reaching market from 

 Virginia and adjacent States, among which these oval or 

 oblong nuts cannot be found. I have a number before 

 me measuring from one inch to one and a quarter in 

 diameter, and from one and a half to nearly two inches 

 in length. Other varieties found, perhaps, in the same 

 lot, are broader than long, or one and seven-eighths 

 inches broad, by one and one-half in vertical diameter. 

 These measurements are of the cleaned shell, after the 

 husks have been removed. 



For several years a " thin -shelled black walnut" has 

 been offered by at least two nurserynaen, in whose cata- 

 logues they are described as "with unusually thin shells, 

 the kernels coming out whole." I have endeavored to 

 ascertain the origin of this variety, but failed, for both 

 of the nursery firms who advertised the trees for sale 

 admit that they do not know from whom they obtained 

 the nuts planted, or where the original tree is growing. 

 As the trees offered are only seedlings, there is no cer- 

 tainty that they will produce nuts with "thin shells." 

 We can safely drop this supposed variety from the list 

 until something definite is known about it. 



JuGJLANS Californica, Watson. California Wal- 

 nut. — Leaflets in from five to eight pairs, more or less 

 downy, but sometimes smooth, oblong-lanceolate, sharp- 

 pointed, narrowing upward from near the base, two to 

 two and a half inches long. Male catkins much larger 

 than in our Eastern species, or from four to eight inches, 

 often in pairs. Fruit round, slightly compressed, three- 

 fourths to one inch and a quarter in diameter ; husk 

 thin, slightly dotted or roughened ; shell dark brown, 

 very faintly sculptured (Fig. 83), almost smooth, thick, 

 the kernel filling two broad cavities upon each side ; edi- 

 ble and fairly good. A tree or large shrub in the vicin- 

 ity of San Francisco and along the Sacramento (where 



