Northern Nut Growers Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting / Cedar Rapids, Iowa, September 17, 18, and 19, 1930 - Unknown

The chestnuts were judged early and scions sent for in order to get a start on the second part of the chestnut problem, that of testing the resistance of these seemingly resistant varieties to the chestnut blight. The scions received were disappointing in quality and disappointing in the extent to which they were gotten started this year. The writer set scions on Chinese (mollissima) stock, Mr. Hershey set them on American (dentata) stock and the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture set them on Japanese (crenata) stock, but owing to the poor scions only part of them are growing. The writer got eight varieties out of twelve to start but it is questionable how they will do, for mollissima stock is thought to be good only for mollissima varieties and the varieties were all crenata, and so, while a start has been made on the problem of getting blight resistant chestnuts of horticultural value it is only a start and much work remains to be done.

The prizes awarded were as follows:

Name and Address	Species	Points	Prize	Amount
Frank B. Austin, Milford, Del.	crenata	70	1	$50.00
C. Warren Swayne, West Grove, Pa.	crenata	66	2	15.00
Charles V. Stein, Manheim, Pa., R. F. D. No. 1, Nut No. 1	crenata	61	3	10.00
Dr. W. C. Deming, Hartford, Conn.	Mollissima	61	[A]	——
Charles V. Stein, Manheim, Pa., R. F. D. No. 1, Nut No. 2	crenata	59	4	5.00

Helen W. Smith, Linden Lodge, Stamford, Conn.	crenata	54	5	5.00
May Cline, Route 2, Belvidere Rd., Phillipsburg, N. J., Nut No. 2	crenata	53	6	3.00
May Cline, Route 2, Belvidere Rd., Phillipsburg, N. J., Nut No. 1	crenata	51	7	3.00
Howard A. Folk, Brielle, N. J.	crenata	51	7	3.00
W. Russell Parker, Box No. 2, Little Silver, N. J.	crenata	47	8	3.00
Ralph P. Atkinson, Setauket, N. Y.	crenata	46	9	3.00
Victor Page, Elmsford, N. Y.	crenata	41	10	3.00
Frank Atler, Edison, Pa.	crenata	40	11	3.00

[A] Not entered in contest.

Beechnuts

Never before, so far as the writer is aware, has there been a score card proposed for beechnuts, but the need of one is apparent and the following is suggested till a better one is found. It is not doubted that one will appear, for our present score cards for hickories, walnuts, etc., are the result of changes made as nuts received in the contests have shown such to be advisable, and work on the beechnut is 10 years or so behind that on other nuts.

Size is the most important characteristic in the beechnut, for all are thin shelled and practically all are well flavored. If we had a beechnut the size of a chestnut we should have a most valuable addition to our nuts. The points awarded for size have therefore been on the basis that eventually we would get a beechnut the size of a chestnut, although we are very far from that now. Forty points are allowed for size and it is figured that eventually we will get a beechnut 4 grams in weight which is the weight of a medium size chestnut. The constants used in figuring the number to be awarded for other characteristics require little comment for they are figured on the basis of existing nuts as constants have hitherto been calculated. The suggested score card is as follows:

Weight	40	points
Color of shell	5	points
Percent of kernel	15	points
Ease of removing pellicle	15	points
Quality and flavor of kernel	25	points
Total	100	points