Black Walnuts—Proportion of Kernel

Ratio of weight of kernel to weight of entire nut (without husk)
Highest, Ten Eyck 36.4%; Lowest, Seefeldt, 16%.

Percent of Kernel.Points
36% and less than 37%20
35% and less than 36%19
34% and less than 35%18
33% and less than 34%17
32% and less than 33%16
31% and less than 32%15
30% and less than 31%14
29% and less than 30%13
28% and less than 29%12
27% and less than 28%11
26% and less than 27%10
25% and less than 26%9
24% and less than 25%8
23% and less than 24%7
22% and less than 23%6
21% and less than 22%5
20% and less than 21%4
19% and less than 20%3
18% and less than 19%2
17% and less than 18%1
16% and less than 17%0

Quality and Flavor: Absolutely no progress has so far been made in measuring this characteristic or more correctly these characteristics for, strictly speaking, there are a number of them instead of one and the only method available at present is tasting by experts. It is very much to be desired that methods for measuring this be worked out and several lines on which to work in order to accomplish it have been thought of but as yet no definite progress has been made.

While the characteristic as yet unmeasured is one of the most important and most difficult even for experts to estimate correctly when there are large numbers of nuts to be examined, the fact that it is possible to measure the other eight is a matter of a good deal of satisfaction and this satisfaction is the greater because with the methods that have been worked out it is possible for any ordinarily careful person to do the work about as well as it is for an expert and, as the work of judging a large number of nuts is very considerable, the elimination of a large part of the need for expert services is very gratifying. The services for example of such experts as Dr. Morris and Capt. Deming are obtainable only occasionally and for a short period. Now that the nuts sent in are rapidly increasing, it would have been impossible to have handled the contests without some improvements in the methods used.

While the same score card has been used for butternuts, black walnuts, and hickories it seemingly can be used quite well for English walnuts, Japan walnuts and pecans also, in short, for all nuts belonging to the botanical family Juglandaceae and perhaps for hazels. Separate ones will evidently be required for beechnuts, and chestnuts. The tables for determining the number of points to be awarded for a given value of any characteristic are likely to vary for each species. Inasmuch as there are fourteen species of hickories exclusive of the pecan that have to be considered and apparently even more species of walnuts not to mention beechnuts, chestnuts and hazels, one might think that nearly 100 tables would be required. A study of the matter, however, has shown that the number really needed is very much less, and the more that nuts are examined the more it seems possible to make one table answer for a number of species and have the number of points a nut receives indicate to a certain extent its value as a nut to grow, and not simply the value of a given variety of a certain species.

The hickories and the walnuts require a word in passing. There are at least nine species of hickory either native in the northeastern United States or that will grow there and it is quite possible that further study of the hickories will add to this number. Seven of these belong to the scale bud class, Eucarya, the shagbark, Carya ovata, the shellbark, Carya laciniosa, the scaly bark, Carya Carolinae-septentrionalis, the mockernut, Carya alba, and the close-bark pignut, Carya glabra, the loose-bark pignut, Carya-ovalis, and the pallid hickory, Carya pallida; while two belong to the open bud class, Apocarya, the pecan, Carya pecan, and the bitternut, Carya cordiformis. Hybrids between many of these species are found occurring naturally and seemingly hybrids between any two are possible, and the fact of many of them being hybrids is not evident on an inspection of the nuts. It is a noteworthy fact that quite a proportion of fine hickories that are being propagated are evidently hybrids and the number of our fine hickories which are evidently hybrids increases as they are studied more carefully. In many ways it would be desirable in the contest to offer prizes for the best nuts of each species of hickories, but the difficulty of determining the species from the nut alone, and the fact of such a proportion of our finest nuts being hybrids is sufficient to discourage the attempt. What was done in the 1918 contest, and what would seem to be the best thing that can be done is to offer the prizes for hickory nuts simply. Most of the prizes are taken by shagbarks but when a nut not a shagbark gets into the prize winning class, we make a class that would include it. For example, in the 1918 Contest, three shellbarks and one mockernut came into the prize winning class, whereupon a special lot of prizes for shellbarks and mockernuts were given. This enables us to do what would be accomplished in offering prizes for best nuts of each species of hickories. The same score card and tables therefore are used for each of these species. It is convenient, in judging nuts, to differentiate between the pecan on the one hand and the other hickories on the other, although study recently put on the matter would seem to show that this distinction is not exact and that some nuts, for example, which apparently are pure pecans are really pecan hickory hybrids.

The differences between the structure of the shell of the nuts of certain of the walnuts is greater than between the shell structure of the hickories and the walnuts may be divided into three classes. Hybrids between a number of species are found which have been formed naturally, and seemingly hybrids between all species are possible. It is convenient in judging nuts to differentiate between English walnuts, black walnuts, and butternuts, which nuts are representative of the three walnut classes and to include with the butternuts, the Japan walnuts. This will strike many people as a strange classification, i. e. to include the butternut and Japan walnut, but I feel sure that no one who has given the matter much study will so consider it. Whenever the two grow in proximity they hybridize so freely that one may be almost certain of not getting pure species if he plants nuts and raises seedlings. Indeed I have received many such hybrids which have been called either butternuts or Japan walnuts. As a matter of fact the same difficulty exists in distinguishing butternuts and Japan walnuts that exists in distinguishing hickories. There is no name which includes the butternut and Japan walnut as there is to include the various species of hickories, and, as such a name is urgently needed, I have used the word "butterjaps." This includes butternuts, Japan walnuts and hybrids between them. While it doubtless will be convenient to continue the names butternut and Japan walnut it should be understood that usually they will mean simply nuts which, as far as appearance is concerned, would seem to be one or the other, but very likely may be hybrids between the two species and might be more properly called by some name e. g. "butterjaps," which would include the two species and hybrids between them.

At this point the Convention took a recess to enable a photograph to be taken and immediately after reassembled for a business session.