Walnuts Background
The walnut is one of the world's most venerable foods. In Périgord,
from Peyrat to Terrasson, excavations have brought to light petrified
shells of nuts that were roasted during the Neolithic period, more than
eight thousand years ago.
Around 2,000 B.C. in Mesopotamia, the Chaldeans left inscriptions on
clay tablets revealing the existence of walnut groves within the famed
Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There is evidence of walnut consumption
dating from the same era on carved stelae containing the Code of Hammurabi,
in a section devoted to food.
In the Old Testament, King Solomon speaks with delight of visiting
his walnut grove: "I went down into the garden of nuts to see the
fruit of the valley" (Song of Solomon 6:11).
The walnut appears in Greek mythology in the story of Carya, with whom
the god Dionysus fell in love. When she died, Dionysus transformed her
into a walnut tree. The goddess Artemis carried the news to Carya's
father and commanded that a temple be built in her memory. Its columns,
sculpted in wood in the form of young women, were called catyatides,
or nymphs of the walnut tree-so the tree furnished the image for a famous
Greek architectural form.
The very name of the walnut tree and its nut comes down to us from
the Romans. Juglans regia (walnut tree) and nux juglandes (the walnut)
stem from Jovis Glans or the Royal Nut of Jove. The word for nut itself
derives from the Latin nux or nucleus (fruit of the shell), with a suggested
derivation from nox (night) owing to the dark juice of the nut, which
was used to dye wool.
The walnut and the oil extracted from it, therefore, have been known
since ancient times. Theory has it that the walnut may have disappeared
in parts of northern Europe during the glacial period but was then reintroduced
by barbarian invaders and by Greco-Roman conquerors. Once the tree was
reestablished, the exploitation of its products spread steadily through
increasing trade.
Walnut Varieties
CHANDLER - (P.P. #4388) Harvest mid-season; large
smooth oval nut, with good shell seal, and high quality kernel. Kernel
color excellent, light grade consistently 90% or better. Has potentially
high fruitfulness with 80-90 percent of lateral buds fruitful. Medium
size tree is a moderately vigorous and semi-upright, highly productive
tree. Pollinizers are Cisco and Scharsch Franquette.
CHICO - Small, upright, early harvest, highly productive tree. Nut
size small with excellent kernel quality. Due to smaller size trees
and a very high percentage of lateral pistillate; bloom 90-100%. It
is well suited for high density plantings. Pollinizers are Payne, Serr
or Sunland.
CISCO - Its main attribute is as a pollinizer for Chandler and Howard.
In growth habits Cisco is semi-upright and a small tree. Large nuts,
but there can be problems with kernel quality.
EUREKA - Tree is very large, somewhat spreading growth habit. Harvest
early to mid-season. Nut is medium size elongated with a good shell
seal.
HARTLEY - Harvest is mid-season. The nut is large, well sealed with
high percentage of light kernels nearly 90%. Tree size is moderate to
large, moderately spreading with good vigor on fertile soil. Hartley
needs 40 to 45 foot spacing for mature tree. Most widely planted walnut
variety in California. Acceptable pollinizers are the late blooming
Amigo and Scharsch Franquette.
HOWARD - (P.P. #4405) - Harvest mid-season; nut is large, round and
smooth with a good seal. Kernel quality is excellent at 90% light, and
kernel percentage is 50%. Tree size is small to medium and semi-upright
with moderate vigor, which makes it a good candidate for high density
plantings. Pollinizers are Cisco or Scharsch Franquette.
PAYNE - Early harvest, nut size is medium to small. Shell seal is very
good. Nuts average 48% kernel with approximately 50% light. Yield potential
is high to very high. Approximately 80% to 90% of the lateral buds on
shoots are fruitful. Very productive. Tree is medium round shaped. Heavy
pruning is required when trees are young to avoid overbearing.
SCHARSCH FRANQUETTE - Late harvest. Nut size is small and well-sealed,
very good quality light kernel. Trees are large and require 40 to 50
foot spacing. Vigor is moderate to high and tree shape is upright. Good
pollinizer for Hartley and Chandler.
SERR - Harvest is early to mid-season. Nut size is large, with a fair
to good shell seal. Kernel is 60% light. Percentage of kernel is high
at 59%. Serr planted on shallower, heavier, or less fertile soil seems
to bear better. Serr tree size is large and requires a spacing of at
least 40 feet. Shape is moderately spreading and vigor is good to excessive.
Suitable pollinizers include Chico and Tehama.
TULARE (P.P. #8268) Harvest mid-season. The nut and kernel are large,
with a well-sealed, nearly round nut. The Tulare requires no pollinizer.
Tree has upright growth habit, moderately vigor, suitable for hedgerow
and other high-density planting systems.
VINA - Harvest early to mid-season; medium size pointed nut, with a
good shell seal. Kernel color is good at 60% light with 48% kernel.
Tree size is small to medium, vigor is moderate to good and highly productive.
Pollinizers are Chico, Chandler, Howard and Tehama.
