Seed Propagation

Barton (1) indicated that while some few seedlings may be produced without prior seed stratification, after-ripening of the seed for 2 to 4 months at 35° to 50° F. markedly increased seedling production with hickory and walnut. Chase (4) found that black walnut seed sown in November yielded more and larger seedlings than when planted at a later date. Chase (5) also reported that nuts containing larger kernels produced larger seedlings, and that planting 1 to 2 inches beneath the surface yielded larger seedlings than deeper placement. There have apparently been little or no observations made on the performance of seedlings for rootstock purposes between different parental strains except for Chinese chestnut as reported by McKay (12).