will go into nut tree production should boost seedling trees just
because they do not have or cannot produce the named varieties. If the
public can be at this time educated to demand select varieties it will
influence the planting of nut trees favorably for the next hundred
years. If they get shunted off on to seedlings it will take another
twenty-five years to awaken the present interest. One might as well
expect an apple growing industry to spring from the indiscriminate
planting of seedling apple orchards. This goes especially for the
English walnut and the Chinese chestnut.
_Abstract of letter from Rev. P. C. Crath, Cannington, Ontario._ Only a
limited report is possible this year. In Toronto there are four
Carpathian walnut trees 20 to 25 feet high which bear nuts regularly.
One of these bears nuts of huge size, another smaller nuts with very
thin shell and with the flavor of the Cashew nut. The other two trees
produce regularly medium sized nuts with thin shells. In Islington, near
Toronto, Carpathian No. 34 belonging to Mr. J. Robson continues bearing.
Mr. Robson died last spring and I am naming this tree No. 34 the
"Robson" in his memory. The eight Carpathians along the Welland Canal
are doing well and bear every year. The tree in the yard of the Rev.
Foster at Welland is a nice big tree and bears every season but
squirrels carry off all the crop. In Ontario until the present time the
curculio has not attacked Carpathian walnuts. Prof. C. T. Currelly of
Canton has some nice big trees of his own grafting. One of these is of
the Landyga type that in its seventh year now has never shown any cold
injury. We can feel assured that the Landyga type is the best for the
cold regions of Ontario. A tall and beautiful No. 46 that had a
bacteriological canker near the root has thoroughly healed. Other No. 46
trees on the same estate are doing fine. The original No. 34 (now
Robson) on Prof. Currelly's farm is doing exceptionally well. It is the
type of a good market walnut. The Harbey Carpathians, belonging to J.
regia maxima, with very thin shells are also doing well.
My Ukrainian and Turkish filberts on Currelly's estate have now become
small bushes, 40 in number bearing abundantly.
_Abstract of letter from Sylvester M. Schessler, Genoa, Ohio._ To keep
scionwood I place sticks, such as elder, on a cement floor, lay the
scions crosswise on these, cover them with sawdust and throw an oilcloth
over this. In May I graft by the slotbark method nailing the scion and
tying with string or rubber bands and wax with Acme Grafting Compound
put on cold. I cover with a two pound paper sack and later stake up the
new growth. I like fair sized scion wood cut from near the base of the
new growth and often graft with two year old wood carrying some one year
wood. I will exchange graft wood and have several varieties of Ohio
prize winners bearing nuts. I also do budding by the patch method.
Experiment Station Investigates Tree Believed to be the Oldest Chestnut
in Connecticut
Progress Report from Connecticut Experiment Station, Dated November 15,
1943
Many years ago, at a time when the American chestnut was still the king
of the woods, a farmer set out a small orchard of nut trees on the bank
of the Connecticut River flood plain north of Hartford. Now, some 60
years later, one lone Japanese chestnut survives. Dr. Donald F. Jones of
the Agricultural Station in New Haven, who recently investigated the
tree, believes it is by far the oldest living chestnut in the State. And
the most interesting thing about the tree is that it shows no signs of
blight, the disease that destroyed all the native chestnuts.
Dr. Jones' attention was called to the tree late last fall by a hunter
who noticed a deposit of chestnut hulls in the river bank. On
investigation, the man discovered the tree and was impressed by its
size. This fall the tree was visited in search of nuts. There, rising
above the brush and brambles of what is now a tobacco field, stood the
chestnut, 30 foot high and 18 inches in diameter. The men were able to
rescue only six nuts, their visit being a little late for the main
harvest. The nuts were among the largest Dr. Jones has seen. They have
been planted at the Experiment Station farm in Mount Carmel.
Inquiry in the neighborhood of the chestnut revealed that two or three
people knew about the tree and had gathered the nuts that are produced
profusely every other year. One of the neighbors recalled that 60 years
or more ago, when he was but 12 years old, a man named John P. Jones had
set out the nut trees. But the original source of the trees is unknown
and it remains a question whether the planter got the trees from a
nursery in this country or directly from the Orient.
Though the lone survivor is somewhat neglected, with several dead
branches that have been left untrimmed, a neighbor was interested enough
in its possibilities to plant some of the nuts. This resulted in one
six-year-old seedling tree. Unfortunately, this already shows blight and
is apparently the result of pollination by some blighted American
seedling or sprout in the neighborhood. The nuts collected this fall may
also give disappointing results but should transmit to later generations
the blight-resistance of this Japanese parent. In addition to planting
the nuts, Dr. Jones will take scions from the tree for grafting on young
trees at the Station's Mount Carmel farm. Those should produce results
more quickly than the seeds. Next summer pollen will be collected from
the tree for use in hybridizing some of the young trees already growing
here.
Dr. Jones has for many years been interested in the development of a
useful chestnut for Connecticut conditions. Some of the young trees,
crosses between American and Asiatic types, show promise but will take
several years of testing to prove their value. The new "find" may be of
considerable help in shortening the length of time necessary to get a
tree that is blight resistant, of large fruiting habit and of good
timber quality.
(Note by Editor--This tree has been known to me for probably fifteen
years. It was brought to my attention by Mr. Charles Vibert of East
Hartford and named by me the "Vibbert," [with two b's to insure the
right pronounciation]. The name has been published and I have sent
scions to a number of people and grafted trees myself. The tree bears a
very large nut, twelve selected ones weighing over a pound. I have
gathered a good many quarts of them and exhibited them in Hartford and
Litchfield. So far as my observation goes this large size is at least
partly due to the fact that there is only one filled nut in a burr, the
other two being aborted. This fact, and the fact that the crops are
small, I have attributed to the partial inefficiency of
self-pollination, there being no evident outside source of pollen. One
year I grafted several other varieties into the top of the tree. Most of
those grew a year or two but then died. I have believed that this was
due to blight. There has been much dead wood in the tree ever since I
have known it and I had supposed that this was blight.)
Report of Committee of Ohio Nut Growers
_A. A. BUNGART, Chairman_
On September 5, 1943, members of the Northern Nut Growers' Association
living in Northern Ohio met at the Wooster Experiment Farm to discuss
nut growing in the State. At this meeting a committee was formed to work
out plans and suggestions for a twenty-year nut growing program. It was
felt that greater progress would result if something more definite were
done by way of coordinating the work of the Forestry Department with the
effort of individuals. The committee, meeting here on October 31, 1943,
submits the following report. The chairman has attempted to incorporate
most of the material submitted by members of the committee and by
others.
The committee recommends the appointment of a full time research man in
nut culture, or two part-time workers. This man, or men, would form the
hub around which the 20 year program would be built. There should be a
division of labor: certain individuals already embarked on a program of
their own should continue their work and coordinate it with a specialist
at Wooster, or whatever place is designated as headquarters. For
example, Mr. Silvis favors the hickory over all other nut trees. As a
young man he can reasonably look forward to many years of
experimentation with various varieties and under different conditions.
Mr. Davidson is following a plan of planting large numbers of black
walnut seed from blocks of trees in which natural crossing might combine
the desirable characteristics of several better-than-average named
varieties. Mr. Sherman has collected English walnuts from trees in the
northern part of the state. Already he has seedlings of many varieties
growing at Canfield.
Now, each of these projects is excellent and should be encouraged in
every way. Whenever members of our organization find new and better nuts
of those species, they should send nuts, or scions or data about the
trees, to these gentlemen.
As time goes on there should be opportunities to farm out projects to
individual growers. Mr. Fickes, for example, by experience and because
of his favorable location could well carry out experiment suggested by a
specialist, (or as a research worker to help with one of his own.)
It would seem, apart from large scale operations to be mentioned later,
that the specialist or expert should make his headquarters a clearing
house for information sent by members. It should be his job to study
some of the scientific phases of nut culture, such as artificial
crossing, pollenizing data on various species and varieties of nut
trees, genetic investigations, value of the proper root stocks, and, as
time and information would warrant, the publishing of monographs on
phases of nut growing. Finally such specialist might consider broadly
the problems of securing an increased food supply from Ohio forests.
2. Devote the 9 acres at Apple Creek to nut tree planting. Plant two or
three trees of each variety that has especially good traits. Also set
out numbers of seedling stock upon which to graft scions of promising
trees. By having the main planting near the Experiment Farm, the plant
breeder at Wooster should also attend to nut trees.
3. The Forestry Department should procure seed of hardy English walnuts
and of other nut trees; grow one-year seedlings and distribute these in
small numbers (not over five or six) to people who will plant them in
good locations. Such action should be started at once; in twenty years
or less something good might result.
4. Continue the planting of all promising varieties of the different
species of nut trees at Mahoning so that the bearing habits, production,
etc., could be under strict observation and study, and so that a supply
of scion wood might be available for other plantings and for commercial
propagation.
5. Establish a similar project in some other section of Ohio; the
southeastern section would seem to be the logical place when nut growing
becomes a commercial industry in Ohio.
6. a. Graft promising hickories in the tops of established hickory
seedling trees. There is a volunteer stand of such hickories on the
lands of the Mahoning Valley Sanitary District that would be ideal for
such top-working. No doubt many other such places could be located.
b. Same as "a" but using black walnuts.
c. Same as "a" but using English walnuts.
Suitable black walnut seedlings are now growing on the Mahoning Valley
Sanitary District for projects 6b and c.
7. Encourage the planting by the Forestry Department of better seed from
the best named varieties. While this would be a long-range program it
would be preeminently worth while. The forests of Ohio have all but
disappeared. Organizations with vision and unselfishness must begin to
replace them.
8. Urge a program of education. Nut trees require good soil and proper
care. It would be folly for an organization to sponsor a program for nut
tree planting, unless the growers are provided with proper cultural
directions. The tendency in the past has been to plant nut trees in
out-of-the-way places, and let nature take her course. Nature took her
course; the result, scrubby trees and disgruntled planters.
9. Initiate future nut contests for the purpose of arousing public
interests in nut growing and for bringing to light new varieties. Four-H
clubs, county agents, boy scout troops, sport clubs, all might be urged
to co-operate with the Forestry Department, or with our own
organizations, in making a state-wide survey for better nuts. One member
of the committee thinks that the Ohio Farmer contest did not bring to
light all the good wild trees, although every nut grower is indebted to
that splendid paper for its cooperation in the past.
10. Favor a moderate amount of publicity. Any plans, developments, or
discoveries should be put before the public in scientific journals, farm
papers, and the daily press. But propaganda of a sensational of
exaggerated nature ought to be discouraged. In other words, the
committee thinks that false claims and high pressure publicity on new
varieties would do more harm than good.
11. Study the pollenizing problems of all the better varieties of nut
trees, especially the black walnut, chestnut and hickory species, and
test the better varieties to find those best suited to Ohio conditions.
12. Develop and perfect a simplified means of propagating nut trees and
incorporate this information in a bulletin for all who are interested in
nut trees. Many farmers and fruit growers shy from nursery prices for
nut trees. If they could propagate their own they would be more likely
to plant them.
13. a. Urge a means of developing better kinds of nut trees and nut
hybrids for Ohio. Specifically, embark upon a program of artificial
crossing and hybridizing. While some might object to the length of time
required to check results, the committee thinks it possible to check
three generations within a 20 year program. This could be expedited by
budding or grafting the crossed seedling upon the stock of a bearing
tree. The original seedling should be saved to check its growth, shape
and other characteristics not apparent in the grafted branch. A
Thomas-Elmer Myers cross might possibly combine the desirable traits of
both parents, or a McAllister-shagbark cross might increase the
productivity of the former. A nut, for example, having the cracking
qualities of the English walnut, and the hardiness and retention of
flavor when cooked or baked of a black walnut, would be a worthy
achievement. Also, securing pollen from a hybrid English black walnut
and back crossing with either species might produce the dream tree.
N. B. Hybrid vigor might be a blessing for the quicker growth of all
forest trees. Experiments in nut trees might be applied to other
species.
13. b. Establish in the same tree two varieties suitable for crossing.
This seed should be distributed for propagation by the Forestry
Department to public institutions and to others for reforestation on
waste lands or water-shed project or private grounds.
By selecting isolated trees for this mating, the nuts would either be
self-pollinated or a cross of the desirable varieties. This it would
seem would yield better nuts than the hit-an-miss methods of nature.
14. Use a new yard stick for measuring the value of nut trees for
commercial production. Size of nut, thickness of shell, cracking
qualities are desirable traits but they might not be deciding factors in
evaluating a tree. Other factors equally important perhaps even more so,
are size of nut clusters, rate of growth, consistency in bearing annual
cross, yield per tree of shucked nuts, resistance to blights and insect
nests.
15. Compile a list of the best articles that have appeared in the
N.N.G.A. reports and print them in pamphlet form for distribution to
Ohio growers. All the articles on black walnuts would be found in the
one booklet, and so on for all other trees in which Ohioans would be
interested.
16. Check carefully the experiences and observations of all the members
so as to assemble data on the behavior of nut trees. This information
would be more useful in determining what crosses would be desirable. The
Thomas nut, for example, has been both praised and condemned. What would
be the concensus of opinion on the merits of this much debated variety?
17. Make northern Ohio the nucleus of the N.N.G.A. Geographically and
climatically, this section of the state represents an ideal spot for nut
tree experimentation, in the northern states. The experiment farms at
Wooster and Canfield, the Findley State Forest, the various state
properties, all could be brought into a closely knit functioning
project.
CONCLUSION
The committee thinks that a 20 year program along these 17 lines, or a
modification of them, will eventually prove successful. If such an
organization can offer farmers and all others interested in nuts and
conservation a better walnut, filbert, hickory or chestnut suitable for
Ohio soils and Ohio climate the effort would seem worth while.
So far people interested in nut culture have been called "nuts."
Practical-minded people are apt to smile at such nut experiments, but a
glimpse at our state proves that nut enthusiasts have vision, and a
faith in the future; that they are modern Johnny Appleseeds with more of
Johnny's methods but less of his madness.
The history of our state is a history of squandered natural resources,
of get-rich-quick methods, of wanton destruction of all forms of plant
and animal life. If this organization can in a small way stop the
erosion of gullied hillsides, check the rampage of swollen rivers,
arrest the fertility of Ohio farms from floating to the Gulf or the
Ocean, if it can find some substitute for the magnificent chestnut trees
now gone forever, if it can make better nuts grow where none or poor
ones grow now, if it can sell conservation and a love of trees to every
farmer in Ohio, this organization or any other will be conferring a rich
legacy upon future Ohioans.
OBITUARY
_Dr. John Harvey Kellogg_ died at the age of 91 at his home in Battle
Creek, Michigan, on December 14, 1943, from pneumonia. Until his death
he was one of our two honorary members, the other being his brother, W.
K. Kellogg. Our only other honorary members have been Henry Hales, H. E.
Van Deman, and Dr. Walter Van Fleet. The Kelloggs were thus honored
because of their large gifts to the association, their entertainment of
the association twice at Battle Creek, and the numerous papers on nuts
as food sent to the association by Dr. Kellogg. He once gave us $500 as
prizes for a nut contest. He was present at our Stamford meeting and at
those in Battle Creek. A full account of his life and works was printed
in the N.Y. Times for December 16, 1943; and from a medical standpoint,
in the Journal of the American Medical Association for December 25,
1943, p. 1132. Other accounts may be found in the Michigan newspapers
and elsewhere. He was certainly one of our most eminent members. He was
resolute and sincere in his beliefs, forceful and persistent in
advocating them though they differed quite radically from the beliefs of
most of the medical profession. He would not permit his patients to use
alcohol, tobacco, meat in any form, or tea and coffee. Those who had
been excessive users of these things were often immensely benefitted by
a stay in a Kellogg sanitorium. He joined our association on account of
his advocacy of nuts as food to replace in part the absence of meat. Of
late years he had laid more emphasis on soy beans. Whatever may be
thought of his radical views on food there can be no doubt that he did
an immense amount of good not only by his treatment of individual
patients but also by the wide dissemination of his teaching and his
invention of many useful forms of so-called "health foods."
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