Such experiences as Mr. Becker's (extracted from a letter to me) are well worth knowing, and we need similar information for several years and at different locations, for all the promising Persian seedlings and new varieties. I would suggest that all of us who have them flowering in our plantings (even if only one tree) make an effort in 1953 to record as much as possible of the phenological data on them. A form such as the following might be used, for flowering, fruiting, and related data.
Year: 19_____ Location: ____________________
Data by: _______________ First freeze previous fall: (Date) _______________
Minimum temperature previous winter: _____°F. on (Date) _______________
Last killing frost this spring (Date) ______________________________
+————-+——-+———-+————-+————+————-+—————+——-+———-+ |Variety |Age |Date |First |End |Date |Nuts |Yield|Remarks| |(or |of |from |catkins |of |pistils |harvested | | | |seedling |tree |new |shedding |shedding|appear |(date) | | | |No.) |or |growth |(date) | |receptive| | | | | |graft|scion | | | | | | | +————-+——-+———-+————-+————+————-+—————+——-+———-+ |1. | | | | | | | | | +————-+——-+———-+————-+————+————-+—————+——-+———-+ |2. | | | | | | | | | +————-+——-+———-+————-+————+————-+—————+——-+———-+ |3. | | | | | | | | | +————-+——-+———-+————-+————+————-+—————+——-+———-+
Under "Remarks" could be recorded such information as the distance and direction to trees furnishing pollen in the period when a given variety has sticky appearing pistils, the abundance of pollen shed, apparent winter killing of catkins, etc. The list of items could be expanded, if desired, but it is thought that those included here are among the most important in determining the potential performances of varieties and variety combinations in specific climates. A compilation of such data for a period of about three years, supplemented with data on the nuts themselves, would be of very practical value as a basis for selecting varieties most promising to plant or propagate. The same data form would be applicable to other walnuts, hickories, pecans, and filberts, and perhaps to a lesser extent with chestnuts.
Note on Chinese Chestnuts
HARWOOD STEIGER, Redhook, N. Y.
My earliest Chinese chestnuts are ripening. Stoke Hybrid is earliest and the nuts are so attractive, too bad they are not better in quality. It is an exciting time here as there are always a few seedlings that are ripening for the first time. Honan, which ripens later, has been one of my best grafted trees. One of my seedlings has very large nuts, very early ripening, nuts are now falling, and it is prolific, nearly every burr has from two to three large to very large nuts. The quality seems good. We like the large nuts as they are easier to peel and we like them boiled and served as a vegetable. The boiled nuts keep well when frozen. I think this tree is superior to any of my grafted and named varieties.
Scott Healey—An Obituary
Scott Healey was born December 3, 1881, in Wheatley, Ontario, Canada, and came to Otsego, Michigan, in 1904. He married in 1908. Mr. Healey was a chiropractor for a number of years.
In 1921, Mr. Healey and his cousin, Lewis Healey, formed the Healey & Healey Lumber and Coal Company, in Otsego, which they operated together until a few years ago, when Mr. Healey retired due to ill health.