2 
ations, they are from small to medium, a 
small percentage being of a fair size; in 
other words, from the third generation the 
Prceparturiens, like all walnut varieties, 
goes back to the mother type or common 
French walnut. However, the nuts of the 
Prceparturiens, of whatever generation, are 
of first quality, full-fleshed, well flavored, 
the meat being invested with a thin, light- 
yellow skin, and the shell also thin and 
soft. 
The points of superiority which the Prooe- 
parturiens possesses are many. First, it 
bears earlier than any other kind, bearing 
very often, when not transplanted, at two 
apd three years; hence its name, Prcepar- 
turiens, Fertile or Precocious — from Partu- 
riens, bearing, Prce, before, beaiing before 
the usual time. Second, it blossoms late 
enough in the spring, though not so late as 
Parisienne, Mayette, Chaberte, Franquette, 
but from two to four weeks later than the 
California common English, or Los Angeles 
walnut, thus being less likely to be injured 
by late frosts. Third, its pistillate and 
staminate blossoms are in full bloom at the 
same lime, which is another guarantee for 
a regular crop every year. The irregularity 
of bloom of the common California walnut 
is one of its greatest objections and draw- 
backs, as its uncertainty as a bearer arises 
according to localities, both from this ir- 
regularity and the nipping off of its tender 
wood by frost in the" fall. Fourth, it is 
very productive, and on that accniint was 
first named " Fertile" walnut. This ten- 
tency to bear large crops at an early age is, 
in fact, the most important characteristic of 
the Prceparturiens. See figures 1, 2, 3. 
But only "Second Generation" trees, 
which are grown from nuts borne on the 
original, as are all our second generation 
trees, should be planted in preference to 
third and fourth generation trees, the kind 
advertised by many as Prceparturiens, and 
so inferior in all respects. For it is of no 
use denying the fact that walnuts, like all 
nut trees, deteriorate very fast from the 
seed, and from the third generation go 
back to the common type from which the 
variety first originated. 
The second generation Prceparturiens 
trees that we offer for sale are regular- 
standard trees, growing to a good height, 
and have nothing whatever to do with the 
"Dwarf Prolific,'" Prceparturiens so-called, 
said to be in full bearing at six feet. 
Cluster Walnut, or Juglans Racc- 
mosa. — This remarkable kind of Walnut, 
also introduced into California and the 
United States by us, is a worthy rival of 
the Prceparturiens, and whose planting is 
warmly urged in France by the leading hor- 
ticulturists of that country. The Juglans 
Racemosa derives its name from the Latin 
word racemosus, meaning abundant in clus- 
ters, full of clusters, which is the main 
characteristic of the Cluster Walnut, whose 
nuts grow on the tree in clusters of 
eight to fifteen nuts, and even twenty to 
twenty-eight. Otherwise, in habit, size, 
form, and foliage, the Cluster Walnut does 
not differ from the Juglans Regia, or Eng- 
lish Walnut. We have in our possession, 
and taken by our order, a beautiful photo- 
graph representing a cluster of fifteen nuts, 
taken from one of the trees whose crop of 
nuts we had secured. The cluster of nuts 
is seven iuches long, by three and a half 
wide, and looks more like a bunch of short 
bananas or very large grapes, than nuts, so 
rare is it to see nuts growing in such long, 
immense clusters. (See on back cover, an 
outline of that cluster of nuts.) 
The Cluster Walnut, like the Proepartu- 
riens, reproduces itself well from the seed, 
provided, that the nuts be gathered from 
trees grafted from the original type. 
When getting to bear, the nuts are first 
found in bunches of two or three, which 
number is increased every year,when finally 
the tree gets to bearing those astonishing 
clusters of nuts from twelve to fifteen, and 
even more. 
Mr. Hoard Du Plesis, in his work on the 
Walnut, page 9, expresses himself as follows 
on the Juglans Racemosa: 
"Among the various kinds of Walnuts 
there are few that deserve to be so exten- 
sively planted as the Cluster Waluut; its 
fruit, as large as the common kind, is found 
in bunches of twelve to fifteen ; we have 
counted as many as twenty eight on one 
single cluster. The crops of that variety 
are simply astonishing ; we have seen one 
of those trees, the only one to be found 
upon our place, for it is yet a rare kind, 
give in ordinary years as many as fifteen to 
twenty double decalitres of nuts (a double 
decalitre is a measureof five gallons); and 
in good years, as many as thirty." 
Mr. Bertin, a well-known horticulturist 
of France, states that he did see on the 
originator's place in Belgium, one of those 
trees, quite young yet, which had 140 clus- 
ters of 8 to 12 nuts each, besides smaller 
ones. 
The trees that we offer for sale have been 
grown from nuts borne on a " genuine " 
Cluster Walnut; but we do not think that 
more than 70 to 80% of the trees be true. ; 
that is, of having retained that particular 
characteristic of that type, of growing long 
clusters of nuts, as shown on accompany- 
ing cut on back cover. 
BEST VARIETIES OF WALNUTS FOR MARKET. 
The best marketable walnuts are, un- 
doubtedly, those that are the largest, fairly 
shaped, thiu-shelled, (not Paper-Shell, a 
kind that should never be plauted for mar- 
ket), and with a fine, fat, sweet kernel. 
This is independent of other characteristics, 
