Part 13 (1/2)

Table of Crosses:

Female Male

Italian Red Medium Long ” ” Red Lambert Medium Long ” ”

Cosford ” ”

” Vollkugel Comet Cosford ” Vollkugel Craig Red Lambert Gellatly Vollkugel Carey Red Lambert Fertile de Coutard ” ”

Barcelona Vollkugel Seedling (W) Red Lambert ” (E) Vollkugel

I would like to make a few remarks on our heartnut and Carpathian walnut trees. Most of the heartnut varieties came from B. C. and we think that Mr. Gellatly has some of the best obtainable anywhere in North America.

The Bates heartnut from J. F. Jones Nursery seems to be very hardy here, and quality of nut is very good. We have found--comparing a heartnut rootstock which grows two weeks later in the fall than some of our black walnuts--that the same variety of heartnut will live one hundred percent on black walnut stock and winter-kill severely on the heartnut rootstock. We believe that the root system for the north, either heartnut or black, should be carefully selected for its growth habits before considering its use as material for rootstock in grafting or budding. I might add here that we also found that if the variety of heartnut was not hardy, it did not help any in regard to hardiness to use black walnut at the rootstock. There is a good crop of heartnuts on the trees here this year.

In grafting Carpathian walnuts on black, we found that some varieties graft or take more readily than others. Also some would give a better union. The Broadview winter-kills with us, but it is not hard to graft it almost one hundred percent. We have quite a number of the Carpathians bearing and they seem to be quite hardy, of good size and quality, and bear every year. As the catkins were killed on all but one variety, due to the unseasonable weather experienced last winter, there will be only a light crop. The hardy variety has late blooming male catkins which might account for its catkin hardiness. It is of good size and excellent flavor. Possibilities for commercial planting of these Carpathian varieties in the north appear promising in favored localities.

Our Chinese chestnut trees seem to be hardy and this year have produced a few burs for the first time. We have planted out about sixty young trees this year and they are all growing nicely. The weather has been wet and just the thing to get them started.

Our hickory trees, which we grafted, are growing well and we set some more out last year. When we started grafting hickories, we had one hundred percent failure, but kept at it until we got almost a perfect take. The hickory seems very slow in forming a union. A lot can happen to the graft before it gets started. Filberts graft as easily as apple.

Our findings in grafting nut trees are that any amateur can graft apple trees, but nut trees are something different. We have a number of odds and ends besides what has been mentioned.

Being a member of the N.N.G.A. has helped us in growing nut trees, and the information in the Annual Reports should help anyone who has just become interested in growing nut trees. The information is up-to-date and fairly accurate. All one has to do is apply his findings to his own planting.

MR. CORSAN: Doctor, in that same neighborhood is a man who called on me who has a nut aboretum of 40 acres on Grand Island in the Niagara River.

That's above Niagara Falls, of course. I thought he'd call again, but I didn't get his name, or at least I have lost it, and what do you think he is growing in the way of nuts? Can anybody guess:

A MEMBER: Coconuts!

A MEMBER: Peanuts!

MR. CORSAN: I am growing coconuts in Florida--but on that one 40-acre tract on Grand Island, New York--he lives in Buffalo--he is growing evergreen nuts from Swiss stone pine (_Pinus cembra_), Korean pine, Philippine pine, _Pinus Lambertiana_, _Pinus Monophylla_, _Pinus edulis_ and Digger pine (_Jeffreyi_). He is growing these evergreen pine nuts, and he says he is making very good success of it.

MR. STERLING SMITH: Chas. F. Flanigen is his name. He's a member.

MR. WEBER: I'd like to ask the members, or those present, whether they have failed to sign the registry of attendance.

DR. MacDANIELS: That ends the formal program this afternoon. It's always been a criticism that things are too crowded. We have an opportunity now for about half an hour to visit, look over exhibits and then later on we will meet at six o'clock at The Stone Chimney.

(Whereupon, at 4:35 p.m., the Monday afternoon session was closed.)

MONDAY EVENING SESSION

DR. MacDANIELS: Without any question at all, I think, the most important single consideration in determining the planting of nuts is the matter of varieties, and I know that Dr. Crane has some ideas along that line which he wishes to develop, and without any further talk on my part, I will introduce Dr. Harley Crane, United States Department of Agriculture.

(Applause.)

Nut Varieties: A Round Table Discussion