The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1885-10-31

tying Gaul. The English walnut is
rarely seen growing in this country ex-
cept in California. In spite of its
name, it is natixe of Persia, and was
only introduced into England in 1862.
Persian kings at one time held these
nuts IN such high regard that the COM
mon people were not allowed to eat
them, they being reserved for their
sacred and selfish majestieS alone.
One of the pleasant little stories told
of the cruel Emperor Nero is the de
light he took in going to the theatre in
disguise, and from an upper gallery
pelting down nuts upon the bald head
of the Pr;etor who sat below. Forum
ately this official recognized his assal
ant, and did not resent the insult, and
he was aiterward rewarded for bearing
the hard shower upon his pate SO good
naturedly. DIR. Doran seems to think
it may have been this incident that
gave rise to the expression, "That's
nuts" when anything pleasant and I'M
expected occurs.
After this, nuts Immediately became
the fashion in Rome SO the newsboys
and bootblacks, who at the present
day crack nuts in the top gallery of
our modern theatres, have a royal, if
not very worthy example, to ccp
them in countenancc.
In England, the nuts must rpen
sooner than with us, for it was very
ancient custom there TO always go nut
ting on Holy-rood Day, which falls on
the 18th Of September. In an old
play called G,IW, TIE Collier II Cory
G0N, one Of the characters IS made 10
say,
''rhis day. they say is called Hollywood Day
AMI all the youth are nov "-nu:tfn= cone
And in quaint manuscript relating to
Elton School it is recorded that Gin
the month of September probably the
I4th the scholars there wcrf. to have
play day in order to go out and gather
mats, a portion of which, when they
returned they were 10 make presents
of TO the different masters"
This corresponds somewhat to the
"Pjcnic Day" granted every summer
to the pupils in our public schools
but what would our boys think if they
had to earn their holiday, as the young
Etonians did, by writing verses on 'lhc
frui,fulness of autumn and the deadly
cold of the coming winter?'' | am
afraid some of our American lads
would find this 4 very hard nut indeed
to crack.
Our own poet Of nature, the late
William Cullen Bryant, has written
many charming verses about the sea
son when the bonny brown nuts come
showering down and on his estate at
Roslyn, Long Island, is growing what
is SAID to be the largest black-walnut-
tree in the country. II sprang from
a seed planted iii 1913, and three feet
from the ground it measures twenty,
five feet around. At the height of fif-
teen feet the trunk divides and spreads
Dat, covering space Of hundred
and fifty feet in diameter. Beneath
its protecting boughs its poet owner,
no doubt, delighted to linscr and weave
his fancics into rhy me, while many
generations of birds have piped away
their happy lives in the old walnut
homestead.
This year sun and shower have done
their best, and now in the soft misty
Indian summer every one of my young
readers, | trust, will have an oppor-
tunity to
Gather from the iustlng heaps OF leaves
| The hickory's white nuts AMI the dark fruit
That fall from the gray butternut's long bou his
with which to while away the long
winter evenings, and perhaps bring
back pleasant memories of tine time
when brown nuts drop.