PERSIAN WALNUTS—5 ENTRIES
The prize winning nuts and the prizes awarded are shown in the table on page [154].
This is the first time that I have had opportunity to test some of the propagated Persian walnuts. The results shown are given for what they are worth. A sufficient number of Persian walnuts have not as yet been examined to enable us to determine the constants so that they are as valuable as they will be later, and as they are on the hickories, black walnuts, and butternuts where hundreds of nuts have been examined. Consequently, conclusions based on the figures in the table should be conservatively drawn. The position of the Franquette at the bottom of the list of the propagated nuts it is believed will be materially changed with the redetermination of the constants that an examination of a large number of nuts would require.
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.