%ty €reagur|) of 3Scrtang. 



640 



quence of its strength, lightness, and elas- 

 ticity, it is extensively employed for gun- 

 stocks. In Circassia, sugar is made from 

 the sap, in the same way that the Canadians 

 prepare that from the sugar-maple. The 

 leaves are used medicinally in domestic 

 practice ; and an infusion of them is re- 

 commended as a vehicle for the adminis- 

 tration of cod-liver oil, in order to overcome 

 its nauseous taste. The husk of the fruit 

 yields a dark brown dye ; and the seeds a 

 fine oil, which is suitable either for salad 

 oil, or as a drying oil for painters. [A. S.] 



It was said that in the golden age, when 

 men lived upon acorns, the gods lived upon 

 Walnuts, and hence the name of Juglans, 

 Jovis glans, or Jupiter's nuts. The Romans 

 called the walnut Nux persica, Nux regia, 

 Nux euboza, Jovis glans, Djiuglans, Ju- 

 glans. Greek authors mention it under the 

 names of Carya, Carya persica, and Carya 

 basililce, or Royal Nut. We are not aware 

 that the common English name of Walnut 

 has been satisfactorily explained. On the 

 contrary, we think an erroneous deriva- 

 tion has been given. Walnut, they say, 

 is from Gaul-nut, presuming at the same 

 time that the tree had been introduced 

 from France into this country. But our 

 ancestors, in their ordinary language, and 

 that of the common people, did not use 

 the classic name of Gaul in their designa- 

 tions of the things introduced from France 

 in comparatively modern times. Walnut 

 is doubtless of German derivation. In 

 that language we find it is sometimes 

 written Walnuss, sometimes Wdlschenuss ; 

 the latter appears to have been the origi- 

 nal. Wiilsch simply means foreign ; 

 hence, Walschenuss, a foreign nut, pro- 

 perly applied to the walnut, as regarded 

 Germany, as well as the rest of the conti- 

 nent of Europe. In Dutch it is called Wal- 

 noot, and its English, Danish, and Swedish 

 names are modifications of this and of the 

 original German term. 



According to Dr. Royle (Illustrations of 

 the Botany, etc. of the Himalayan Moun- 

 tains)^, regia extends from Greece and Asia 

 Minor, over Lebanon and Persia, probably 

 all along the Hindoo Koosh to the Hima- 

 layas. It is abundant in Kashmir, and is 

 found in Sirraore, Kumaon, and Nepal. 

 The walnuts imported into the plains of 

 India are chiefly from Kashmir. Dr. 

 Hooker states that in the Sikkim Hima- 

 laya, the walnut inhabits the mountain 

 slopes at 4,000 to 7,000 feet elevation. Pro- 

 fessor Targioni says that it is a native of 

 the mountains of Asia from the Cauca- 

 sus almost to China. According to Pliny, 

 it was introduced into Italy from Persia, 

 and this must have been at an early date, 

 for it is mentioned as existing in Italy by 

 Varro, who was born B.C. 116. There is no 

 certain account of the time it was brought 

 into this country. Some say 1562, 300 years 

 ago ; but Gerard, writing only about thirty 

 years later, mentions the walnut as being 

 very common in the fields near common 

 highways, and in orchards, and that being 

 the case, its introduction in all probability 

 had taken place at a much earlier period. 



The nut, well known to every one, is 

 covered with a green fleshy bark, which is 

 very bitter, like the leaves. The tree grows 

 to the height of forty or sixty feet, with a 

 large spreading top, and thick massive 

 stem. One accurately measured by Profes- 

 sor du Breuil, in Normandy, was upwards 

 of twenty-three feet in circumference ; 

 and in some parts of France there are 

 walnut trees 300 years old, with stems of 

 | much greater thickness. In the southern 

 I parts of England, the trees grow vigo- 

 rously and bear abundantly, when not in- 

 jured by late frosts in spring. 

 I The timber of the walnut is light, a cubic 

 foot, when dry, weighing about forty-seven 

 j pounds. Formerly, it was in much request 

 ] for cabinet work, but since the introduc- 

 tion of mahogany it is less esteemed for 

 that purpose. It is still, however, pre- 

 ferred to all other woods for gun-stocks, 

 being light, yet tough and strong, and, 

 with this desirable combination, it takes 

 a good polish. The fruit is used for pick- 

 ling in a green state, whilst the shell is still 

 tender and can be easily pierced with a pin. 

 The fruit becomes mature in the end of 

 September, or in October; then, to bring 

 it down, the trees are threshed with poles, 

 and many of the shoots are consequently 

 broken ; but an opinion has long been en- 

 tertained, that this has the effect of mak- 

 ingthe trees more productive. Itis, in fact, 

 a rude mode of pruning. 



Some varieties of the walnut are hard, 

 and others tender-shelled. One of the lat- 

 ter is called the Titmouse Walnut (Noyer 

 wesange), because the shell is so thin that 

 birds, and especially the titmouse, can 

 break it, and eat the kernel. Another va- 

 riety, called the double walnut (Noyer & bi- 

 joux), is large, of a square form, and when 

 the shell is polished and hinged, it is 

 fitted up so as to contain such presents as 

 a pair of gloves, trinkets, &c. A variety 

 called the Highflyer Walnut is considered 

 the best English variety. In many parts, 

 large quantities of oil are extracted from 

 the fruit ; indeed the walnut furnishes one- 

 third of the oil made in France, and when 

 well purified it is little inferior to olive oil; 

 whilst, for some purposes in the arts, it is 

 superior. Altogether, the Walnut is a tree 

 of great importance— for its fruit as an 

 edible product, for its oil, and for its tim- 

 ber. Trees of choice quality of wood have 

 been sold for 6001. each. Its plantation, 

 therefore, should not be neglected, but 

 not too near dwellings, as some persons 

 are affected by the powerful aroma of its 

 foliage. [R. T.J 



JUGUM. A pair of leaflets : thus, uni- 

 jugus is one pair ; bijugus two pairs, &c. 



JUJUBE. 



juba. 



Zizyplius vulgaris, and Z. Ju- 



JUJUBIER. (Fr.) Zizyphus. 



JULIANIA. A genus consisting of two 

 trees, one from Mexico, the other from 

 Peru, which, as far as can be judged from 

 the specimens known, appears to belong 

 to the Juglandacew. The leaves are pin- 



