WALNUT-TREE. 



Walnut-7V«, in Botany, Gardening, and tlic Materia 

 Medica. Sec Juglans. 



Walnut-7Vc?, in ^Agriculture, the common name of a 

 tree which is well known for the ufe of the nuts which it 

 produces for the table, as an article for the deffert, and of 

 their rind?, liufl^s, or coats, as well as themfelvcs in their 

 unripe llatc, as an elegant, valuable, and agreeable pickle ; 

 alfo for its wood as timber, and its ornamental cfTed. It 

 is on thefe and other accounts a very defirable tree for cul- 

 tivation ; but, in the tiril intention, this is often in a great 

 degree prevented, from the very great length of time which 

 is required, in the ordinary modes of raifing it, before it 

 becomes capable of bearing fruit in any fufficient quantity. 

 The inconvenience arifing in this way has, however, lately, 

 in a great mcafure, been obviated by direfting the following 

 methods atid means of producing and growing it. In addi- 

 tion to what has been faid of its modes of culture under 

 Juglans, it may be farther noticed, that an ingenious 

 cultivator of garden and orchard plants has, within thefe 

 few laft years, from confidering the nature of what takes 

 place in raifing fruit-trees of the apple and fome other kinds, 

 from old bearing branches of other trees of the fame forts, 

 by the praftice of grafting ; fufpefting that they never 

 form what may with propriety be denominated young trees, 

 the (locks into which they are inferted only affording them 

 nouriftiment ; and the new plants retaining, in all cafes, the 

 charafters and habits of the particular bearing branches of 

 which they once formed parts, and commonly producing, 

 in two or three years from the periods of their infertion, 

 fupplies of fruit ; been induced to believe that the effefts of 

 time might be anticipated in the culture of this and feveral 

 other fruit-trees, which remain unproduftive for a great 

 many years after their being planted ; and that parts of the 

 bearing branches of them, when cut and detached from the 

 old trees, and made ufe of as grafts, would Hill retain the 

 character and liabits of bearing branches. 



Some walnut-trees of two years old or growth, wliich 

 had been planted in the fpring feafon, fome time before, in 

 garden-pots, were, in confequence, raifed up to the bearing 

 branches of an old wahnit-tree, by placing them on the tops 

 of poles fet into the earth, and grafted by approach with 

 parts of them. Their union took place during the fummer, 

 and in the autumn the grafts were detached from the parent 

 ftock. The plants thus obtained were afterwards planted 

 in a nurfery-ground, and, without any peculiar care or ma- 

 nagement, produced both male and female blolfoms in the 

 third fucceeding fpring, and have fince afforded bloffoms 

 every feafon. It is noticed, however, that the froit has 

 rendered their bloffoms, as well as thofe of other trees in 

 their neighbourhood, wholly unprodudlive during the laft 

 three years; and in the fpring of the year 1805, almoft 

 wholly deftroyed the wood of the preceding year. 



It is remarked that a fimilar experiment was made the 

 fame year on the mulberry-tree, but under many difadvan- 

 tages. Not having any young plants of this tree, the ex- 

 periment could only be made with fcions of one year old or 

 growth ; and of thefe there were oidy two, which had 

 iprung from the roots of a young tree, in the preceding 

 year. Thefe were planted in pots, and raifed in the former 

 method, to the bearing branches of an old tree. One of 

 the fcions died ; the other, which had very few roots, fuc- 

 ceedcd ; and the young grafted tree bore fruit the third 

 year, and has continued annually produftive. In the lail 

 fpring it was introduced into the vinery, where it* fruit 

 ripened in the greateft ilate of pcrfeftion. 



The walnut as well as mulbcrry-trcc fucceede fo ill in 

 Vol. XXXVII. 



grafting, in any other manner than that by approach, that 

 attempts to propagate them in any other way can fcarcely 

 be recommended ; but when they fuccced by other modes of 

 this nature, nearly the fame advantages will probably be ob- 

 tained. It is fuggeltcd, however, that the habit of the 

 bearing brancli is lead diftiirbed by grafting in the approach 

 method. The latter has been found capable of being pro- 

 duced by layers and cuttings from the ftrong bearing 

 branches, and to be equally produtlive in thefe ways of 

 raifing them. Great advantages, too, have attended pinning 

 them in a careful manner, and training them agaiiift foulh 

 walls, palings, and other fuch fences. 



The Spanifh chefniit fuccecds, it is obferved, readily, 

 when grafted in almoll any of the ufual ways ; and when the 

 grafts are taken from bearing branches, the young trees 

 afford bloffoms in the fucceeding year. And it is further 

 fuggefted, that there is reafon to think, from experiments 

 which have been made on this tree, that by felefting thofe 

 varieties which ripen their fruit early in the autumn, and by 

 propagating with grafts or buds from young and vigorous 

 trees of that kind, which have only jufl attained the age ne- 

 ceffary to enable them to bear fruit, it might be cultivated 

 with much advantage in this country, not only for the ufe 

 of the fruit, but for that of the wood as timber. 



Similar experiments have likewife been tried on many 

 other different forts of trees, which, it is remarked, have 

 conflantly been attended with the fame refult ; and no doubt 

 is entertained but that the effedts of time might be thus an- 

 ticipated in the culture of any fruit, which is not produced 

 until the feedling trees acquire a confiderable age. For the 

 conviftion of long and extenfive experience has fully (hewn, 

 that the graft derives nutriment only, and not growth, from 

 the young itock into which it is inferted ; and that with the 

 life of the parent ftock, the graft retains its habit and con- 

 ftitution, as well as perhaps other properties, as already 

 fuggefted. See Juglans. See alfo different papers in the 

 Tranfaftions of the Horticultural Society of London. 



The walnut is alfo a well-known deciduous tree, which 

 was formerly much grown and cultivated in the field, and 

 lield in great efteem in this country for its wood, which is 

 not unfrequently very finely veined ; but which, in confe- 

 quence of its aptnefs to be wcrm-eaten, has now, for the 

 moft part, given place to mahogany. It is likewife an 

 ufeful tree for the purpofes of ornament, and for its produce 

 in fruit. 



There are different forts of it, which are capable of being 

 raifed and grown in thefe intentions with advantage ; fuch as 

 the common fort of walnut, which is a very large, lofty, 

 fpreading tree, and which has many varieties, as the oval 

 and round walnut, the large and fmall-fruited walnut, the 

 double early and late walnut, the tender thin-(helled walnut, 

 and the hard thick-fhelled walnut ; the white fort of walnut, 

 which has the fruit (haped like the common walnut, but in 

 wliich the (hell is not furrowed, the tree being of a light 

 colour. It is faid by fome to be a tall tree in North 

 America, where it greatly prevails under the title of hiccory 

 nut-tree ; and the black walnut-tree, which is large, and 

 has the outer covering of the nuts rough, with the form of 

 them more round than in the firft of thefe forts. The (hell 

 is very hard and thick, but the kernel fmall, though very 

 fwcet and agreeable to the tafte. Thefe two latter forts of 

 walnut-trees are lefs hardy than that of the common kind, 

 though very proper in fome cafes of planting. It has been 

 noticed that all the firft forts of thefe trees vary again, when 

 raifed from the feed, and that as the nuts from the fame 

 tree will produce different fruit. Thofe who plant the 

 4 Q walnut 



