Northern Nut Growers Association, Report Of The Proceedings At The Tenth Annual Meeting. / Battle Creek, Michigan, December 9 and 10, 1919

by Unknown

OBSERVATIONS

The number of entries in the 1919 contest was about 50% greater than in 1918. No hickories, no black walnuts or butternuts deemed worthy of experimental propagation appeared as was the case in 1918, but on the other hand, two pecans, the Dunn No. 1 and Koontz, it is believed, are well worth while propagating experimentally even though the Dunn nut comes from a somewhat more southern section than the other northern pecans now being propagated. The need for additional heartnuts makes it seem advisable to propagate experimentally the Stranger heartnut, even though it comes from Jackson, S. C., a section so far south that the southern pecan grows and bears well. The contest has helped to bring out the value of the Rush hazel, which has been propagated experimentally for a long time but which, so far as I know, has never been offered to the public by nurserymen.

The following standards for hickories have been established: The largest nut found so far is still the Mott shellbark, which Dr. Morris found a number of years ago and which weighs 29.6g. The Vest hickory, which among the seemingly pure shagbarks, had the record of the thinnest shell up to the 1918 contest, has been surpassed by the Beam No. 1 of the 1919 contest, which takes but 33kg to crack the shell. The figure is surpassed by one bitternut hybrid the Beaver 29kg, and by the Hatch bitternut 19kg, and the Halesite bitternut 13kg. The Vest of the 1914 crop is still the seemingly pure shagbark with the largest percentage of kernel 57.7%. This is surpassed by the Hatch bitternut 65.0%, and the Halesite bitternut 69.0%. No hickory has been found to surpass the Vest in the excellence of flavor of the kernel. One hickory, the Barnes, 1919 contest, showed 100% cracking quality.

The following standards for black walnuts have been established. The Armknecht No. 2 which held the record last year has been surpassed by the Werner with a weight of 30.4g. The thinnest shelled one is still the Alley of the 1918 contest, with a cracking pressure of 110kg, although the Ten Eyck of the 1918 contest was only slightly higher, 120kg. The record for the greatest proportion of kernel is still with the Ten Eyck of the 1918 contest 36.4%. The Ten Eyck black walnut exhibited in 1919 had no such records of thinness of shell or proportion of kernel. The Stabler is believed to be the best cracker but the Alley of the 1918 contest showed 100%. The Bomberges black walnut of the 1919 contest showed unusually fine quality of kernel and is believed to hold the record for quality of kernel so far.

The following standards for butterjaps (i. e., butternuts, Japan walnuts and their hybrids) have been established. The Wasson butternut which held the record for size heretofore 18.8g has been surpassed by two nuts Pumfrey No. 2, 19.5g and Truman No. 4, 22.6g. The same high cracking quality among the pure butternuts noted last year still continues. The Ritchie heartnut of the 1918 contest still holds the record for percentage of kernel, 32.7%. One pure butternut, the Kuhne of the 1919 contest, with 19% kernel has been found. The Aiken butternut 200kg cracking pressure is the thinnest shelled pure butternut yet found. The thinnest shelled Japan walnut yet found is the Wilson Seibold walnut of the 1919 contest, 75kg cracking pressure.

The following standards for pecans have been established (including the pecan x shellbark hybrids which generally resemble pecans in flavor and appearance and would be classed with them). Largest, the Klein, 22.0g in weight. Of the pure northern pecans the Norton, 8.1g in weight is the largest. Of the pure southern pecans tested the Delmas 10.1g in weight is the largest. Of the northern pecans the greatest percentage of kernel yet found is the Clifford "Sweetmeat" of the 1919 contest, 57.6% of kernel, followed closely by the Koontz, 56.1% and the Dunn, 55.5%. Of the southern pecans the Schley, 62%, leads.

The thinnest shelled northern pecan yet tested is the Wears of the 1919 contest, 21kg cracking pressure; the thinnest southern pecan is the Burkett, 27kg followed closely by the Schley 29kg. The finest flavored among the northern pecans is Dunn No. 1, which has a kernel which is exceptionally delicious. The finest flavored among the southern pecans is the Schley.

The following standards for hazels have been established. The largest American hazel yet found is the Littlepage 2.7g but the Rush, although a smaller nut has a larger kernel 1.0g against .8g for the Littlepage. The Rush also has a greater proportion of kernel, 45.7%, than any other native hazel yet tested or any foreign one excepting the White Aveline which has 49.3%. The thinnest shelled American hazel is the Rush 39kg and the thinnest shelled foreign one, the White Aveline 26kg.

Those who have given the matter consideration are thoroughly convinced of the great possibilities of systematic hybridization of nut trees. Work of this kind will have to be carried on according to carefully thought out plans, the details of which are not yet quite clear in all particulars. The facts brought out by this contest have added to our knowledge of what may be expected from our work. Take the hickory for example; we have shellbark hickory nuts nearly three times the size of the best southern pecans; we have bitternut hickory nuts with a proportion of kernel greater than that of any pecan and with shell so thin, that they can be cracked with less pressure than any pecans I have ever seen; we have in the best shagbarks, flavor of kernel unsurpassed in any nut. Theoretically, it should be possible to produce nuts in which these qualities are combined to a large degree. Similar possibilities exist with the butternut and the Japan walnut where it is seemingly possible to produce nuts in which the qualities of both will be combined and get smooth, thin-shelled butternuts or well flavored Japan walnuts or desirable butterjaps, as I am inclined to call them.

An inspection of the table of hickories show that 4 out of the 28 receiving 68 points or over, are certainly hybrids. There are a number of others where it seems very probable that they are hybrids. There are a number of facts to suggest that some of our very thin shelled hickories, which at first sight seem to be shagbarks, are hybrids of which the shellbark or mockernut is one parent. Why the offspring of such thick shelled nuts as the shellbark or the mockernut and the shagbark should be thin shelled, is more than I can imagine. We have two occurrences however which are significant. On the list of Japan walnuts two hybrids of the Persian and Japan walnut, Cording and Siebosian are noted. I have never tested a Persian walnut where the cracking pressure runs much over 40kg and it is rather unusual for a Japan walnut to run much over 200kg, yet Cording is 419kg, a strength of shell greater than that of any other nut sent into the contest this year and which is only found among black walnuts and shellbark hickories. Siebosian is not very much less. If two comparatively thin shelled nuts will produce an offspring with a shell so much thicker than either parent, it does not seem more impossible for two thick shelled nuts to produce thin shelled offsprings.