Propagation
The propagation of selected strains of nut trees is not primarily the function of an Experiment Station, with the exception of such work as may be necessary to establish on Station property a sufficient number of trees to furnish scionwood for experimental purposes and to supply interested parties with what they require. We believe that nut tree nurserymen should undertake the propagation of new varieties of proven merit and we have endeavored to furnish our local nurserymen and others with scionwood of our best native selections or introductions. Such propagation as we have done is with established trees and can properly be considered as top-working. This feature of our project is discussed under that heading.
Topworking
Our programme of top-working was carried on in 1933 to the full extent of time and funds available and a special effort was made to top-work some of the worthless pignuts and bitternuts with scions of hicans and hybrid hickories. In a former report, reference was made to the difficulty in grafting shagbark and shellbark scions onto pignuts; and here again I want to say my first observation still holds especially with the shagbarks. I do not have a single shagbark scion left on pignuts out of several hundred set during the last four seasons.
Our results with hybrid hickories and with hicans have been much more encouraging in so far as the set of scions and growth is concerned. The following varieties have done well on the pignut or bitternut—Burlington, Beaver, Cedar Rapids, Creager, Dennis, Des Moines, Fairbanks, Kirtland, Laney, Lingenfelter, McCallister, Stratford, and Shinnerling. It is definitely known that most of these varieties are of hybrid origin with the exception of Cedar Rapids and Kirtland. The buds of the variety I have labelled as Cedar Rapids do not look like pure shagbarks and it is possible that a mix up has occurred in the labels.
A satisfactory start was made in propagating the prize-winning shagbark hickories of our 1932 contest and further work will be done with these kinds in the present season.
Good progress has been made in propagating our best varieties of black walnuts, English walnuts, and Chinese walnuts. We now have several trees some of which are quite large that have been top-worked to scions of Wiard, Allen, Grundy, Rowher, Ohio, Creitz, Carpenter, and Stambaugh black walnuts. In English walnuts we have Carpathian No. 1, 2, and 5—Crath, McDermid, and Broadview. This latter variety is above the average in size, cracks easily and has a good kernel. Still more important it is believed to be hardy and is definitely known to have endured 25° below zero F. This variety was sent by Mr. J. U. Gellatly, our enthusiastic nut tree hunter from British Columbia. Mr. Gellatly has brought to light a considerable number of heartnuts and a few English walnuts. One of his latest finds is an English walnut that produces very large almost round thin shelled nuts. This tree grows on high bench land near Okanogun, B. C. and is a seedling of a tree growing in the high altitudes of Kashmir in Northern India. Some of the heartnuts sent by Mr. Gellatly are amongst the largest I have ever seen and possess good cracking and extraction qualities. Scions of these varieties have been ordered from Mr. Gellatly and we hope to establish at least one good tree of each kind as a source of propagating material. We also have several grafts of an excellent Chinese walnut which we obtained from Mr. George Corsan of Islington, Ontario. This variety bears a large nut with a thin well sealed shell and a first-class kernel, and has been named Corsan.
New Plantings
The planting programme for 1933 included the planting of about 40 acres on the Collver part of the Kellogg Farm near Augusta, but this had to be reduced by 50% because of financial troubles caused by the closing of the banks in which Mr. Kellogg was a depositor. In addition to the new plantings a considerable number of replacements had to be made particularly in the chestnut groves. The following table shows the number of each species and variety planted:
| (a) Black Walnuts | |
|---|---|
| Variety | Number |
| Allen | 2 |
| Wessell | 5 |
| Thomas | 20 |
| Beck | 2 |
| Bohamin | 2 |
| Edras | 3 |
| Grundy | 3 |
| Homeland | 3 |
| Howell | 2 |
| Grabill | 2 |
| Hauber | 1 |
| Heplar | 3 |
| Mintle | 2 |
| Patuxent | 7 |
| Ruddick | 1 |
| Stanley | 1 |
| Tasterite | 1 |
| Stover | 1 |
| Worthington | 1 |
| McMillen | 1 |
| Hunter | 1 |
| Birds Eye | 15 |
| Carpenter | 10 |
| Miller | 5 |
| Ten Ecyk | 10 |
| Ohio | 10 |
| Stabler | 15 |
| (b) Chinese Walnut | |
| Seedlings | 20 |
| (c) English Walnut | |
| Seedlings (Crath) | 21 |
| Alpine | 10 |
| Mayette | 10 |
| (d) Butternuts | |
| Seedlings | 50 |
| Hickories | |
| (a) Hybrids | |
| Stratford | 5 |
| (b) Shagbark | |
| Glover | 5 |
| Romig | 3 |
| (c) Shellbark | |
| Stephens | 2 |
| (d) Pecans | |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Niblack | 4 |
| Greenriver | 5 |
| Kentucky | 5 |
| Butterick | 6 |
| Posey | 5 |
| Carlyle | 3 |
| Jeffrey | 3 |
| Seedlings | 50 |
| (e) Hicans | |
| Des Moines | 7 |
| Gerrardi | 5 |
| Burlington | 4 |
| Wright | 3 |
| Burton | 2 |
| Norton | 2 |
| Hazels | |
| (a) Turkish Hazels | |
| Seedlings | 40 |
| (b) Jones Hybrids | |
| Seedlings | 14 |
| (c) Corylus Vilmorinii | |
| Seedlings | 1 |
| Chestnuts | |
| (a) Chinese | |
| Seedlings | 251 |
| (b) Japanese | |
| Seedlings | 20 |