duction of Persian walnuts. Select
two varieties whose characteristics you desire to blend and that will
pollenize each other, and grow seedlings from the resulting nuts. You
can check results in as little as four years by taking buds from the
seedlings at two years and placing then on black walnut.

Creative work, this. You will get the thrill of your life--if you are
that kind of a person--and may produce something well worth while.

Persian walnuts are self-pollenizing if pistillate and staminate
blossoms occur at the same time, but such usually is not the case.
Crath, Breslau, Caesar and King produce their pistillate blossoms some
days before their staminate blossoms shed their pollen, while Payne,
Lancaster, Broadview, Franquette and Mayette produce their blossoms in
reverse order. Of all those I have tested only Bedford can be depended
to produce both types of bloom simultaneously and certainly and fully
pollenize itself.

It is enlightening to keep a record of the blossoming time of each
variety relative to others, but dates should all be recorded for the
same year. Warm, early spring induces early blooming; late, cool weather
delays blossoming. By my records, Payne pistillates were receptive May 3
in 1935, April 28 in 1937 and March 31, in 1945, a variation of over a
month. All varieties vary with the season, but the variation is greatest
with the early varieties.

There has been little disease among my Persian walnuts except that in
wet seasons leaves and nut shucks are sometimes attacked by a fungous
blight. In the city there has been no insect injury worthy of note. In
the country, adjacent to wooded areas, insect injury is sometimes
serious. Pests include spittle bugs, stink bugs and other insects that
attack young leaves and tender growth. These check the leaders and
cause late multiple growths that may fail to mature and hence
winterkill.

In such locations the butternut curculio also attacks and destroys the
young nuts. Avoid wooded areas if choosing a site for a Persian walnut
orchard.

The most destructive pest with which I have had to contend has been the
large black-bird or purple grackle. Oddly enough they are much worse in
the city than in the country. As soon as the young are grown, about the
middle of June, they appear in flocks and attack the nuts of the Persian
walnut. At first, before the shell has hardened, they penetrate the nut
apparently for the nectar which is the substance of the i