Score-Card (Plates)—Persian Walnuts
| General Value: | |
| Size | 10 |
| Form | 10 |
| Color | 10 |
| Shell Values: | |
| Thinness of shell | 10 |
| Smoothness of shell | 5 |
| Sealing | 10 |
| Kernal Values: | |
| Plumpness | 5 |
| Color | 10 |
| Flavor (sweetness, nuttyness) | 10 |
| Quality (crispness, richness) | 20 |
| —— | |
| 100 |
Note: For insect or fungous injuries deduct 5-15 points.
Dr. Morris: I would say that this is a very excellent system as a basis for judging. We must at all times have in mind the idea of working to keep the quality very high. The reason for that is because the tendency has been in the other direction. Appearance has been rated very high, especially on the Pacific Coast, which is one of the centers in nut raising today. I observed, while on a trip from southern California to Washington and Oregon, that people all spoke about the beauty of the nuts, and said little of quality. They will show you great, handsome, bleached nuts, and some of the very poorest in quality are the ones about which they talk the most, and they recognize this fact among themselves. I haven't been looked upon with favor when telling them frankly that a certain walnut ought not to be put on the market at all on account of its quality. They resented that attitude on my part, but later when I was standing nearby I overheard rival walnut growers talking to each other. One said to another, "That is a handsome walnut, but you will have to hire an awful good talker to get it on the market." They resented my criticism and my judgment but among themselves said, "You have got to have an awful good talker to get that nut on the market."
It is this matter of quality that must stand first among nuts as among men. Many know that there is no better pecan than the San Saba. That is standard for quality, yet it is not regarded as being so desirable as some of the others because of its small size. We must always keep in mind the quality rather than size and appearance. Of course, we like things that look well but that side will be taken care of incidentally in the course of the development of the subject.
Professor Smith: Dr. Morris, I should like to ask you a few questions. Is it not the same as it is in the apple and peach market? You know in that appearance counts for a great deal. Are you sufficiently acquainted with the subject to say we will be safe in growing a nut that is second class in appearance but first class in quality?
Dr. Morris: I am glad Professor Smith brought up that point. There is just one way to approach the matter. Take a fine, handsome, large English walnut, that has been bleached, and has lost quality in the process. Growers have gone to a great deal of trouble to get it on the market. Put alongside of it a small, thin-shelled, high quality walnut that has not been bleached, and tell the dealer who is to sell those two nuts that the great big handsome nut is to sell for 15 cents a pound, and the ugly little one is to bring 30 cents a pound. That will attract the attention of people to the good nuts. You can force people into having good sense, through the exercise of a bit of dexterity in applied psychology.
The President: Dr. Morris's remarks are very well taken, because nuts are to be eaten and not to be looked at. Is there any further discussion on this subject? If not, we will pass to the next.
The Secretary: The next thing on the program is the appointment of committees. The advisability of amending the constitution and rules has been already referred to. They have served our purpose pretty well up to now but we have outgrown them. In order to expedite matters and get to the real business of this Association, as this constitution is going to be amended anyway, I would like to move that the rules about the appointment of committees be suspended and that the chair be authorized to appoint the necessary committees. This includes the committees which the rules direct shall be elected, but that takes a long time and I move that the chair appoint these different committees.