Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1858-08-07
No. IA.
The California Walnut.


For the benefit of those who have homes to
adOrn, and who may feel interest in the subject
of shade trees, we make the following selection
from the California CultmiSt.
The tree grows rapidly, with a clean, straight
trunk, and wide spreading head. 1t often attains
height of fifty sixty feet, and with a trunk of
diameter of three feet. The foliage is dense,
and the leaves when bruised are highly aromatic.
1t Is not subject to disease, and does not harbor
insects. 1t is one of our earliest trees in putting
forth Its foliage which it retains until after Sc
we're frost, which causes ali its leaves to fade at
one time. 1t commences bearing in five or six
years from planting the nut How MANY years it
will bear is not known. In December, 1855, 1
planted few nuts, some of the trees of which are
eighteen feet high and nine inches in diameter.
There hardly could be more beautiful or eIeanly
tree for planting on the line Of our streets, and
when people have become tired of the cotton the
dripping and insects of the Cottonwood and the
Odor of the Ailanthus, it will, with eIms and ma
pies, adorn the streets of our towns and villages.
The soil where 1t is Indigenous is rich and sandy
lOam but it will succeed in almost any place where
the earth Is porous and not too hard to prevent its
sending down its long tap root The walnut is pro-
verbal for thriving under rough treatment; it bears
It's fruit near the edge of its branches and in or
chards where the tree is grown for profit the nuts
have to be knocked off with poles. In breaking off
the nuts the ends Of many of the branches are bro
ken. This unsystematie mode of pruning seems
to increase the fertility of the tree There is an
old, but ungallant Worcestershire proyerb which
says
"a woman, dog and a walnut tree
The more you lick EN- the better they be-"
The nuts for planting may be procured in abun-
dance from the seed stores at the proper season.
Like any other nut containing oil, they should be
planted Immediately after they ripen If the
planting be delayed until spring, large majority
OF the nuts will decay IN the ground, and few
will remain two years before making their appear-
anec. If planted in November or December. the
young trees will make their appearance the follow
ing May, and grow five or six feet the first season.
Ii the ground be very dry, the growth above the
surface the first year will be slow, and the whole
energies OF the young tree will be expended in
sending down tap root, which in unflvOrable sit
uatOns is frequently twice the length of the stock
above the surface. When the tap root is well de-
veloped, the tree grows rapidly as the black To-
Gust. They should not be transpanted until after
the second year, for although hardy and readily
bearing removal, it has been found that they make
much more rapid growth if left IN the seed bed un-
til after the second year. The best season for
transplantng is Immediately after the leaves have
fallen. twill succeed without much cultivation or
care, and takes naturally an erect and graceful
shape. The young tree makes an excellent stock
for the English walnut, which however, can only
be budded on successfully by what the nurserymen
call annular budding. | know of no native tree
so well adapted to become popular as a street
tree +; it requires but little care is hardy hand
some and clean. The nuts are to most persons su-
peror in flavor to the English walnut cultivation
will without doubt improve them in size and quail
ity. No experiment has been made in picking
the young fruit; they may be found after trial
equal to the imported picked walnut-S F. Hes
Peridn.