THE WALNUT — PaOPAGATION. 25 



it is impossible to rotate a crop, as the trees are set for a lifetime; but 

 the next best thing to a rotation is in keeping up a rotation of green 

 crops for plowing-under, and in this way keep supplying the humus and 

 nitrogen at a nominal cost. These crops, of course, are planted during 

 the fall, and are grown at a time when the tree is dormant. 



In order, then, to get the best results from a walnut orbhard two 

 thmgs are necessary: (1) Prevent the soil from becoming exhausted; 

 and (2), keep a due amount of humus in the soil. 



The first proposition can be done by applying annually these elements 

 in the proportion in which the crop, the wood, and leaf growth may 

 remove them. _ It would be both amusing and interesting for a rich 

 chemist with little to do and who might own a walnut orchard to ascer- 

 tain these^ facts by a collection of all the leaves, new growth, and crop 

 over a series of years, and his report might be most interesting to the 

 few chemists who would read the same, but the farmer could scarcely 

 keep awake over it. What the farmer desires to know is which and 

 how much of the essential elements need to be added, and the cost of 

 such application. To this question the answer can be given by the crop 

 and trees themselves, although the experiments have not been carried 

 -over a series of years; but for two succeeding years excellent results 

 have been attained by using to every 4 pounds of nitrogen, 9 pounds of 

 phosphoric acid and 5 pounds of potash in the form of muriate. The 

 phosphoric acid should be in the form of a super-phosphate, that is, 

 treated with sulfuric (sulphuric acid), which renders the phosphate 

 readily soluble in water so that it may be immediately available. 



A ton of fertilizer containing the fertilizing elements in the above 

 proportions of 4% nitrogen, 9% phosphoric acid, and 5% potash, should 

 not be worth to exceed $35, freight paid. 



Now, as to the amounts to be applied: 5 pounds to a tree three years old 

 appears to be the limit from which any good can be derived; 12 pounds 

 per tree to an eight-year-old orchard produces good results, some of the 

 trees yielding 100 pounds and all the trees averaging over 75 pounds of 

 nuts; on eighteen-year-old trees 25 pounds (per tree) was applied with 

 satisfactory results. Taking the case of the eight-year-old trees, the cost 

 of fertilizing an orchard, where the trees were twenty-eight to the acre, 

 would be $5 60, or about 3^% of the value of the crop. 



(8) PROPAGATION. 



The raising of walnut seedlings is very simple, but great care and 

 attention are required in all points bearing on the germination of the 

 nuts. There are various methods used, but the most simple is as fol- 

 lows: The walnuts are placed in sand, preparatory to planting. A 

 frame, consisting of 12-inch boards set on edge, of any size desired, and 

 resting on the ground, is half-filled with sand; the nuts are then spread 

 thickly (4 to 6 inches) and covered with about 3 or 4 inches of sand. 

 The sand is kept moist, but not too wet, and in case of lack of rain, is 

 watered. An embankment of earth is made all around the frame to 

 prevent the nuts from drying. They are examined from time to time, 

 and as soon as the nuts indicate or show signs of sprouting they are 

 taken up and planted in nursery rows, from 12 to 24 inches apart.' 



