THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, February 24, 1857. 857 
i branches of an old Walnut tree, and grafted them hy 
approach with parts of the hearing branches of the old 
tree. A union took place during the summer, and in 
the autumn the grafts were detached from the parent 
I stock. The plants thus obtained were planted in a 
nursery, and, without any peculiar care or management, 
produced both male and female blossoms in the third 
succeeding spring, and have since afforded blossoms 
every season.” The success of that distinguished horti¬ 
culturist has led others to follow the same plan with 
equal success, only with this difference—instead of 
using pots, young, tall Walnut trees were planted in a 
l circle round a large, old bearing tree, whose branches 
reached low enough to he inarched to the young stocks. 
After the grafts have taken they are then cut off and 
secured to tall stakes, and allowed to remain another 
season in the same place; they will then have formed 
I tolerably good heads, and may either be planted where 
: they are to remain finally or transplanted into nursery 
| rows for two years longer—the latter plan is the safest. 
; This inarching should be performed in February or 
i March, just before the sap begins to rise. 
To induce early fruitfulness budding has also been 
resorted to. For a successful mode of this operation I 
must quote Mr. Knight. He says, “ The buds of trees 
of almost every species succeed best when inserted in 
the shoots of the same year’s growth ; but the Walnut 
tree appears to afford an exception, possibly, in some 
measure, because its buds contain within themselves in 
the spring all the leaves which the tree bears in the 
following summer, whence its annual shoots wholly 
cease to elongate soon after its buds unfold. All its buds 
of each season are also, consequently, very nearly of the 
same age; and long before any have acquired the proper 
degree of maturity for being removed the annual 
branches have ceased to grow longer or to produce new 
foliage. To obviate the disadvantages arising from the 
preceding circumstances I adopted means of retarding 
the period of the vegetation of the stocks comparatively 
with that of the bearing tree, and by these means I 
became partially successful. There are at the base of 
the annual shoots of the Walnut, where those join the 
one-year-old wood, many minute buds, which are almost 
concealed in the hark, and which rarely or never vegetate 
hut in the event of the destruction of the large, promi¬ 
nent buds which occupy the middle and opposite end of 
the annual wood. By inserting in each stock one of 
these minute buds and one of the large ones I had the 
pleasure to find that the minute buds took freely, while 
the large ones all failed. The most eligible place for 
the insertion of these buds is near the summit of the 
wood of the preceding year, and, of course, very near 
the base of the annual shoot; and, if buds of the small 
kind above mentioned he skilfully inserted in such parts 
of branches of rapid growth, they will he found to suc¬ 
ceed with nearly as much certainty as those of other 
fruit trees, provided such buds he in a more mature 
state than those of the stocks in which they are inserted.” 
I have considerably abbreviated Mr. Knight’s account 
of this most interesting experiment, particularly a part 
of it which he performed upon some young Walnut trees 
in pots, such not being necessary for the practical part 
of the experiment. He does not state the exact time of 
the year when this budding was performed. To such 
! persons as would like to repeat this operation on Walnut 
i stocks I would say, plant your stocks behind a north 
wall or hedge for the purpose of retarding their growth. 
When the sap in the spring begins to flow freely, so 
that the bark rises easily with the budding knife, then 
proceed with budding. Take your buds from the south 
side of a fruit-bearing tree, select those minute buds 
such as Mr. Knight describes ; and, as he says, “ skil¬ 
fully insert them in such parts of branches as are of 
rapid growth” then and there, and there is no doubt 
you will succeed. I believe such trees so worked may 
be had at some of the great fruit-tree nurseries, Mr. 
Rivers’ for instance, at Sawbridgeworth, Herts. 
The best season for planting the Walnut tree is that for 
other deciduous trees, as early in the autumn as possible, 
that is, as soon as the leaves have fallen. When 
planted they should be securely fastened to very strong 
stakes, for the shoots of this tree are very heavy, and, 
consequently, more affected by the strong winds of 
autumn, winter, and spring. The surface of the soil 
should be well mulched with half-rotted stable litter 
two inches thick, which will keep out the frost, and 
keep in the natural heat of the ground. So protected 
the young roots will be growing nearly all the winter, 
gathering up a large quantity of sap against the time 
when the buds will break forth in April or May. Such 
a large store of nutritive sap will cause the trees to grow 
freely the following season, much more so than if no 
mulching had been applied. This use of mulching may 
be easily proved by leaving one or two trees without it. 
Pruning. —The after treatment is simple—a little 
attention in pruning away any ill-placed or superfluous 
branches, or any that may be stretching away from the 
rest so as to form a one-sided tree. Of course all dead 
branches should be cut away down to a living part. 
Sometimes young, strong branches will spring forth on 
the main stem, or in the centre of the tree. These must 
be neatly pruned away as they appear. 
Use of the Fruit. —The grand use of the nut is for 
the dessert. They are ripe in October, and should then 
be taken from the tree, the soft, outer covering rubbed 
off, and the nuts cleanly washed. Part of the crop may 
be set apart for present use, and the remainder put in 
jars among clean sand, aud placed in a dry, cool cellar. 
By this means the season for using these nuts for the 
dessert may be prolonged several months. Walnut oil 
is expressed from the ripe nuts on the Continent, and 
is thought to be equal to almond oil. 
These nuts, however, do not agree with every one. 
1 know a lady who is very fond of them, but who is 
always ill after eating a small number. Hence it be¬ 
hoves every one to try first whether they agree with 
him before indulging in them to any excess, though 
Pliny says, “ The moro Walnuts one eats the more easy 
will he drive worms out of bis stomach.” Another well- 
known use of the Walnut is that of pickling the green 
fruit. For this purpose it should be gathered before 
the shell of the nut becomes hard. A lady of great 
experience in such matters has given me the following 
recipe for piclcling Walnuts :—Gather them dry, prick 
them through with a large pin two or three times, put 
them into salt and water, shift them every three days 
for a fortnight, put them into a sieve, and let them stand 
a day in the air, and then put them into an earthen jar. 
Boil as much vinegar as will cover them well, pour 
it boiling hot over them, let them stand three days, 
then put them into a sieve, and let them stand in the 
air another day, then take to every quart of fresh vinegar 
that may be wanted half an ounce of black mustard seed, 
half an ounce of horse-radish cut into slices, a quarter of 
an ounce of long pepper, three cloves of garlic, a dozen 
cloves, four or five pieces of raw ginger, and a few 
eschallots; boil these ten minutes, and pour it boiling 
hot over your Walnuts, let it stand a fortnight, then put 
them into bottles corked close, and cover the corks with 
resin. They will keep for years. 
Another use of the Walnut is to gather a quantity of 
green leaves, pour boiling water over them, and use the 
liquor for destroying worms on grassplots, and washing 
Gooseberry bushes infested with caterpillars. 
Varieties. —In the nursery catalogues I find there 
are a few varieties. Their names are— 
1. The Round Early Oval. 
2. The Double Large French. 
