Very truly yours,
PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE PERSIAN WALNUT
The secretary herewith presents a preliminary report on the investigation of the Persian walnut. No attempt has been made to collect information about the walnut on the Pacific Coast, which is quite another matter. But the investigation reports very briefly on trees from Canada to Georgia and from Massachusetts to Utah.
The result of the investigation so far is hardly more than a bare catalogue of the trees which the secretary has been able to locate, and is intended simply as an aid to further investigation. It is now published with the hope that members and others may become informed of Persian walnut trees that it may be possible for them to locate, observe and report upon. It is manifestly impossible for any one person, unless some paid agent of the government or other institution, to investigate many of these trees personally, they are scattered over such a wide area. Correspondence is usually unsatisfactory and personal investigation is the only way to get good results.
Probably only a small part of all the existing trees is here catalogued. But among them, and among the others that will come to light in the constantly widening investigation by an increasing number of interested persons, will certainly be found varieties of merit and adaption to different sections of the country.
As the meeting next year at Rochester is to give especial attention to the Persian walnut it is to be hoped that members and others will make special efforts to send to the meeting specimen nuts and reports of trees.