Discussion
Interest in improved black walnut is mounting in the Valley. As the test plantings came into bearing farmers were quick to see the superiority of these nuts over the wild ones to which they had been accustomed. Word spread from farm to farm, and as a result there has been an increasingly large number of inquiries about sources of improved varieties and cultural treatments. The interest was reflected in the questionnaire survey. Nineteen percent of the questionnaires returned contained unsolicited comments of one kind or another. A large percentage of them showed evidence of interest such as: "the nuts are large and easy to crack," "where can I get more grafted trees?" Only 7 percent implied disinterest: "the trees are slow growing," "the nuts are faulty."
This test-planting project will be completed in 1948. The plantings have already yielded much valuable information on the Thomas variety; they will yield much more as the trees become older. Further studies are planned on nut yield, nut quality, and tree growth in relation to the varying conditions existing in the Tennessee Valley.