166 



A DISCOURSE 



BOOK I. tree, as was prescribed of the Chestnut, some days before they quit the 

 '^'^^"^^ branches of themselves, and keeping them in their husks, or without 

 them, till spring ; or by bedding them, being dry, in sand or good earth, 

 till INIarch or earlier, from the time they fell, or were beaten off the tree : 

 But if before, they should be set with husks and all upon them ; for the 

 extreme bitterness thereof is most exitial and deadly to worms ; or it 

 Avere good to strew some furzes, broken or chopped small, under the 

 ground amongst them, to preserve them from mice and rats, when their 



This species seldom exceeds Ihe height of thirty feet. The leaves are long, being composed 

 of eleven pair of folioles, besides the odd one, with which they are terminated. The flowers 

 are yellowish, and come out at the same time with the others, and are succeeded by a small, 

 roundish, liard-shelled fruit. 



The Walnut, in the Linnsean system, belongs to the class and order Monoecia Polyandria. 

 The flowers begin to open about the middle of April, and are in full blow by the middle 

 of May, before M'hich time the leaves are fully displayed. 



These trees are propagated by planting their nuts, which should be gathered from trees 

 of the best kinds. After remaining in the seminary two years, they should be transplanted 

 into the nursery, where they should continue till they are about five feet in height, when 

 they may be planted out where they are to remain. But as these trees do not bear 

 transplanting when of a large size, it will be advisable to plant a good number at the 

 distance of twelve feet from each other ; and in this state they should remain till they have 

 shown their fruit, when those only of the desired kind should be permitted to stand. In 

 this place it will be proper to remark, that the trees will fruit much sooner upon a 

 thin lime-stone soil, than upon one that is rich and deep. So that when it is desired that the 

 trees shall fruit at an early age, we must avoid planting them upon a rich soil. For the 

 manner of sowing the nuts see p. 44. 



All the sorts of Walnuts which are intended for timber, should be sown in the places 

 where they are to remain, in order to preserve the tap-root ; for, when once broken, the tree 

 ceases to aspire, but inclines to divaricate into branches, in which state it is more pro- 

 ductive of fruit than of timber. 



In transplanting these trees, you should be sparing of the knife both to their roots and 

 branches ; nor should you be too busy in lopping or pruning the branches when grown to 

 a large size, for it often causes them to decay ; but when there is a necessity for cutting 

 off any of their branches, the operation should be done early in September, (for at that 

 season the trees are not so subject to bleed,) that the wound may heal over before the 

 winter. The branches should always be cut off quite close to the trunk, otherwise the stump, 

 which is left, will decay and rot the body of the tree. 



The best season for transplanting these trees is as soon as the leaves begin to decay, 

 at which time, if they are carefully taken up, and their branches preserved entire, there 

 will be little danger of their succeeding, although they are eight or ten years old ; but, 

 as before observed, these trees will not grow so large, or continue so long, as those which 



