results this year. A number of varieties of filberts are fruiting,
three varieties of black walnuts, almonds, Chinese chestnuts, heartnuts,
besides the native hickory and butternuts."
MR. REED: According to Mr. Bartlett the Lancaster heartnut, which was
introduced by Mr. Jones, is starting out in highly encouraging manner at
his place near Stamford. It has grown well and is now a handsome,
symmetrical tree. Indications are that it will bear well.
THE SECRETARY: Mr. Bartlett takes good care of his trees. We shall hope
to pay a visit to his place.
I have a letter from Mr. Hicks, Westbury, Long Island. He will be with
us today, and he proposes in his letter that we make an excursion to his
place on Long Island.
_Mr. J. W. Killen, Felton, Delaware,_ in a letter to Mr. Reed, writes as
follows:
"This year we are maturing some nuts on the cordiformis and sieboldiana
types of the Japanese walnut (young trees 3 to 5 feet high) that had no
staminate blossoms. These we are producing by crossing with the pollen
from one of our best Persians. We are looking for something interesting
from there nuts when planted and the trees come into bearing. But all
this takes time and patience. We had more chestnuts last fall than ever
before, and the prices averaged higher, about 20 cents per pound,
wholesale. Our best chestnuts are looking good now. Will soon be
opening; usually begin about the 5th to the 10th of September, to open
up.
"We have not succeeded very well in propagating Mollissima (Chinese
chestnut) but we find the quality of the nuts very good. All of our
American sweet and all of the European type, including Paragon, Numbo,
Dager, Ridgely, etc., have been gone for years, and left our Japs just
about as healthy looking as they were 20 years ago, yet they were all
set in the same block."
THE SECRETARY: It is encouraging to know that Mr. Killen has a strain of
chestnuts that will grow there without being destroyed by blight.
MR. REED: Blight is not serious with his trees.
THE SECRETARY: It is with mine. But Mollissima has resistance.
MR. REED: The real pest in Mr. Killen's chestnut planting is the weevil.
The nuts have to be marketed promptly in order to avoid destruction by
this insect.
THE SECRETARY: I have a letter from Mr. Littlepage, who regrets that he
will not be able to be with us.
Another letter is from Mr. Riehl, who regrets that because of his age he
will not be able to take the long trip from Godfrey, Ill., to New York
City. He writes to us of the place of the chestnut in northern nut
culture, as follows:
"Blight and weevil are the greatest enemies of this nut. Blight in all
probability will destroy practically all native chestnut where it is
native, and in all such districts the planting of chestnut orchards for
profit will be useless until varieties are found or produced that are
immune to that disease. In time this, no doubt, will be done. If I were
fifty years younger and lived in a blight section, it would appeal to me
to do something in that line.
Where the chestnut does not grow naturally it can be grown without fear
of the disease. I have the largest chestnut orchard in the West, of all
ages from seedlings to sixty years, with no blight.
Even were there no blight it would not be advisable to plant chestnut
orchards where it is native because of the weevil. The weevil appears to
be worse on the large improved varieties than on the smaller native. Of
course any one planting a chestnut orchard now would plant the newer,
larger varieties, as they will always outsell the smaller. No one who
has not talked with handlers of chestnuts can have any idea of the
handicap the weevil is to sales and prices. Where the chestnut is not
native the nuts produced will be free of weevils.
The place to plant chestnut orchards is where the chestnut is not
native, on soils that are not wet. Such situations exist in the central
west and westward to the Pacific coast. I have had reports of chestnut
trees growing and bearing in all this territory, and have had favorable
reports of trees that I sent there of my improved varieties.
There is a good market at good prices for good, homegrown chestnuts. My
own crops so far have sold readily at 25 to 40 cents per pound
wholesale, and the demand is always for more after the crop is all sold.
Of all the nuts that I have experimented with I have found the chestnut
to come into profitable bearing sooner and more profitably than any
other."
DR. MORRIS: Some of the state vice-presidents have spoken of native
chestnuts of good kinds. One obstacle, however, in the distribution of
good chestnuts, has been the state laws which prevent us from sending
chestnuts from one state to the other. I would like to ask Mr. Reed if
it would be possible to make some arrangement at Washington whereby
scions might be sent under government inspection to the West and to
other parts of the country where blight does not exist. On my property
at Stamford I had several thousand choice chestnut trees. The blight
appeared and I cut out 5,000 trees that were from fifty years to more
than a hundred years old. Among them there was one sweet American
chestnut superior to the others. It had a very large, high-quality nut,
and very beautiful appearance, having two distinct shades of chestnut
color. The tree was the first to go down with the blight but I have kept
it going ever since by grafting on other chestnut stock. I would like
mighty well to have that chestnut grow in other parts of the country. It
would be an addition to our nut supply.
Furthermore I have among a large number of hybrids, two of very high
quality between the American sweet chestnut and the chinkapin. I gave
these to Mr. Jones. He found, however, that he had no market for them
because of the fear of blight. I would like to present scions of this to
anybody outside the chestnut area where chestnuts are being grown,
provided I can do this under government methods. We should find a way to
do this.
THE SECRETARY: And not by boot-legging.
MR. REED: As Prof. Collins is more likely to be informed in regard to
quarantine laws than I am he is the proper one to answer that question.
I may say, however, that the federal department is unlikely to interfere
in any way with the carrying out of state quarantine laws. Prof. Collins
is now in the room. Dr. Morris, will you kindly re-state the question to
him?
DR. MORRIS: In brief, I have some very superior chestnuts. They will be
valuable for horticultural purposes in other parts, or in non-blight
regions, of the country. I have kept them going by care and attention. I
would be very glad to send those out of Connecticut, provided that the
way may be found, by sending them through Washington to other states. It
would be necessary, however, to have the scions treated in such a way as
to make sure that the endothia spores had been destroyed.
THE PRESIDENT: I suggest that Prof. Collins give the matter some
thought, and when he gives his paper he will be able to inform us about
that. We will now ask Mr. Reed for a report as to promising seedlings.
MR. REED: There are quite a number of new things which might be
mentioned. One is a group of Chinese walnuts now in their second or
third year in the nursery of Mr. Jones, at Lancaster. In this lot there
are many beautiful young trees grown from nuts obtained for Mr. Jones by
Mr. P. W. Wang, of Shanghai. They are from North China, the territory
which I visited more than two years ago and from which I also obtained
considerable seed. Of the latter we have now several hundred seedlings
ready for distribution. Personally I would like them to be distributed
among members of this association. Mr. Jones has 300 or 400 of the Wang
trees which he proposes to sell as seedlings. Others will be used as
stocks for grafting varieties of _regia_.
Dr. Morris has already referred to the Chinese chestnuts. Mr. Dorsett,
of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, has recently arrived in China
for a two-years' trip. He will doubtless send many chestnuts.
Another particularly interesting group of nut trees is a lot of
hazel-filbert hybrids produced by Mr. Jones. These are between the Rush
and the Barcelona, or other European varieties. He now has plants three
to five years of age in bearing. They average as high as a man's head.
Practically all are in bearing with attractive clusters of nuts, and
some are fruiting heavily. The Rush variety, as most members know, is a
native hazel of unusually prolific habits of bearing. The nuts are of
fair size and quality.
Recently I have seen some interesting pecan trees in the East. Two of
these are on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, one in the outskirts of
Easton and the other at Princess Anne; the former is a trifle the
larger, measuring 15 ft 5 inches in girth at breast height, the latter
measuring 4 feet and 2 inches at the same distance and estimated to be
110 feet high. It was grown from a nut said to have been planted in
1800. The nuts from these trees are small but well filled and much
appreciated by their respective communities.
THE PRESIDENT: We have the secretary down for a paper.
THE SECRETARY: This paper opens a symposium on topworking hickory
trees.
TOP WORKING HICKORIES IN THE NORTH
_By W. C. Deming, Connecticut_
I do not recall a single modern improvement of importance in the art of
grafting nut trees in the North that is not due to either Mr. Jones or
Dr. Morris, except that to Mr. Riehl belongs, I believe, the credit of
the idea of waxing the entire graft, which is now the accepted
procedure. Therefore I speak before these two gentlemen with diffidence.
I do so in the hope that perhaps I may recall something which they have
forgotten to make known, or that what I say may elicit from them
available emendatory remarks. My experience of fourteen years on my own
place, and of five years grafting for others, is the basis of my
observations.
_Compatibility of Species and Varieties_
This question will be particularly discussed by Mr. Bixby who has been
conducting careful experiments that should soon settle the question for
the commoner hickories. A few scattering observations of my own may be
useful.
It is generally believed that any species of the genus hickory will
catch on any other, though not necessarily that the union will be
blessed. It is self evident that any hickory will thrive on any variety
of the same species, shagbark on shagbark, pecan on pecan, though even
here close observation will probably disclose differences of
compatibility. Probably any hybrid hickory will thrive on either of its
parents. In some cases this may turn out to be a test of hybridity. For
instance, the Barnes is one of the few shagbarks known to thrive on
mockernut. It shows other evidences of mockernut blood.
I have found no hickory, so far, that does not appear to thrive on the
shagbark, except the pecan. Even here there are differences. I have one
Major pecan on shagbark that is over twenty-five feet high that has a
very healthy appearance and that has shown staminate bloom for two or
three years. I have also an Indian pecan that looks fairly prosperous.
The Iowa pecans, the Marquart, Greenbay, Campbell, Witte, and others,
catch readily and grow vigorously, at least for the first years. There
are many data, however, on the adaptability of the pecan to the shagbark
and the consensus of opinion is that ultimate results are poor. This is
probably because the shagbark starts early and makes its season's growth
in about six weeks, while the pecan naturally has a much longer growing
season. However, these observations have been made, mostly, in the South
and it may be different in the North. The question is not yet finally
decided.
The Stanley shellbark, H. laciniosa, is completely at home on the
shagbark, apparently, but has not yet borne with me.
The Hatch bitternut grew luxuriantly on shagbark for a year but blew
off.
The Zorn hybrid made a growth of one foot on shagbark but then was
winter killed, apparently.
I have a back pasture full of vigorous pignuts, H. glabra, which for
eleven years I have been grafting with faith which now seems childlike,
that soon I would have fourteen acres of bearing hickory trees. Yet as a
result of all these years of grafting the only hickories that I have
found to thrive are the Brooks, which appears to be vigorous, the
Terpenny, which is vigorous and bearing nuts in its fourth year, and
possibly the Barnes. Not a single pecan survived more than a year,
though many started. The Beaver hybrid makes a long spindling growth and
then, in the first or second year, the leaves turn yellow and mosaic and
the growth dies. The Kirtland, Kentucky, Hales, Taylor and several
others, have all with me, proved failures on the pignut. Mr. Bixby's
experiments appear to be showing somewhat different results.
The question of the compatibility of species and varieties is really a
very important one because in some localities either the pignut or the
mockernut is the prevailing species, and we wish to know with what
species and varieties they may be successfully grafted. For instance, if
the Barnes, which is an excellent shagbark, will do well on both the
pignut and the mockernut, where so many other varieties fail, and the
Brooks is at home on the pignut, these are highly important facts to be
known by the man with fifteen acres of hilly woodland full of young
pignuts and mockernuts.
_Size of Stocks_
I prefer stocks of moderate size, up to three inches in diameter. One
gets greater results for the labor with these than with larger trees. Of
course a tree of any size may be topworked but the labor is
disproportionately greater, especially in the after care.
_Cutting Back Stocks for Topworking_
I doubt if it is important to cut back stocks during the dormant season,
except that then there is more time. With larger trees this counts for a
good deal, but in the smaller ones I like to cut them off just where I
want to graft at the time of doing so. However, they may be cut off when
dormant at the point of selection for grafting and later grafted without
further cutting back. This reduces, or does away with the risk of
bleeding. Except in very small stocks it is better to leave a number of
the lower branches to prevent bleeding. When bleeding does occur it may
be checked by making one or more cuts with the knife or saw into the
sapwood of the trunk below the graft. Better results come when the
cutting back is of the top branches and not the lower ones because of
the stronger flow of sap toward the top of the tree. In my opinion a
side branch should always be left at the point where the stock is cut
off to maintain a circulation of sap. Otherwise the stub will often die
back and the graft fail. Also, the cambium close to a side branch will
be observed to be thicker and I infer that the circulation of sap is
more active. I prefer to cut off the top half, or two-thirds of the tree
and graft into the top and the side branches near the top.
Hickories in full foliage may usually be cut back without evident harm.
Occasionally a tree will be apparently shocked to death. Sometimes when
a tree in foliage is cut back severely the remaining leaves will turn
black and partly, or completely, die, but the tree will throw out
vigorous new growth later.
Trees up to three inches in diameter may have the whole top cut off, at
the risk of occasionally shocking a tree to death. Such complete cutting
back must be done in the dormant season or there will be severe and
prolonged bleeding. This method has the advantage of forcing a
tremendous growth in the grafts which will need careful support. This is
much more easily done however, than when the grafts are in the top of
the tree. Cutting back in the dormant season and painting with paraffine
has not worked well for me as the paraffine has not adhered well for any
length of time to the freshly cut surfaces. Probably this could be
easily remedied if it were a real advantage. In the case of small stocks
and branches where there is no bleeding and the paraffine adheres well
green callus will often be seen spreading out beneath the paraffine over
the cut surface.
Stocks should be vigorous. Dwarfed, stunted, submerged, hide bound trees
make poor stocks. This is important, I believe.
_Scions_
The condition of the scion is the most important element for success in
top-working hickory trees. The technique of grafting has been so
simplified as to make it fairly easy, and native stocks are usually
vigorous. But unless the scions have full vitality success will be
limited. They should be plump and not pithy. A limited success is
possible with scions of feeble growth, or those subjected to
devitalising influences in keeping or handling, but the largest success
will be had with well grown scions, cut from vigorous trees or grafts,
whose buds are completely dormant, and have a fresh, green appearance on
cutting. When the cambium layer shows a yellowish or brownish tint the
scions are useless. Slender wood may make good scions but is more
difficult to keep in good condition. Heavy wood from vigorous, young,
grafted trees, or from cut back trees, makes the best scions and is the
easiest to keep. Wood more than 1 year old and as large as one can
handle makes good scions. Dr. Morris, with the use of the plane, has
succeeded with astonishingly large scions and even branches. Sometimes
buds are absent from these large scions or are very inconspicuous. They
may be searched for with a lens.
Preferably scions should be cut when entirely dormant. Buds that show
signs of breaking should be removed. Scions cut after growth starts may
be used with success if there are dormant buds. This "immediate
grafting," as Dr. Morris calls it has not been fully studied. It may be
of great value. It is quite successful with the apple and the pear. It
appears to depend chiefly on the presence of dormant buds of vitality.
The later in the season the dormant scions are cut the shorter the time
they have to be kept, though probably this is not of importance if the
method of keeping is right.
_Keeping Scions_
The larger the scion the easier it is to keep it. Dr. Morris cuts whole
branches and keeps them in the sawdust of his icehouse. I have cut them
two inches in diameter and kept them lying uncovered on the barn cellar
floor into the second summer looking fresh and green. The smaller the
scion the more susceptible it is to moisture environment. Scions must be
kept where it is neither too moist nor too dry. Usually the mistake is
made of keeping them too moist. The buds may start if the scions are too
moist even when the temperature is quite low. This happened for me when
I stored scions for a week or two in the very cold bottom of an icebox.
The most successful grafters keep scions with a sort of intelligent
neglect. Dr. Morris buries them in the sawdust of his icehouse and it
seems to make no difference if ice is there or not. I once tried keeping
them in an icehouse over the ice and they became soaking wet. I have
noticed that Dr. Morris's sawdust seems quite dry. Mr. Jones keeps some,
at least, of his in bins or barrels covered with burlap bags. He says
that heartnut scions keep best not packed away but kept in the open
cellar. I notice that Mr. Jones has been using some kind of mill
planings in place of sphagnum moss. Branches and large scions will keep
well in a medium that seems dry to the touch. Small scions, such as
those cut from old parent trees, require careful handling to prevent
shriveling, on the one hand, or bud starting on the other. A low
temperature is probably desirable, but the right condition of moisture
is essential to the proper keeping of scions for any length of time. I
should naturally prefer to keep them in darkness, but I am not sure that
it is important. Undoubtedly the access of some air is necessary but it
would be difficult to keep it altogether away. I do not know how long
scions would keep if entirely covered with paraffine. One year I dipped
all the cut ends of my scions in melted paraffine but I am not sure that
it is worth the trouble. One year I packed away my scions in rather
moist sphagnum moss. The first time I looked at them they were enmeshed
in mold mycelium. Later many of the buds started to grow. As suggested
by Mr. Jones, dipping either the scions or the moss in half strength
Bordeaux mixture will remedy the mold trouble. Parenthetically, this
should be of help in keeping chestnuts, chinkapins, and other nuts that
spoil easily with mold, for planting in the spring. Packing scions
tightly and heavily covered in boxes for any length of time has been, in
my observation, disastrous. In shipping scions a method advised, and one
that I have followed with satisfaction, is to wrap the scions, either
separately or together, in paraffine paper without any packing next the
scions but putting it, instead, outside the paraffine paper. This
packing may be sphagnum moss or mill planings slightly moistened. This
also is wrapped in a moisture impervious covering and then in ordinary
wrapping paper. For shipping long distanced the moss or planings should
be dipped in half strength Bordeaux mixture.
The surface of the bark of scions that are being kept should always be
dry, never moist. But they should never be so dry as to look shrivelled.
Until you know just what scions will do under the conditions you provide
you should examine them frequently.
_Equipment_
The essentials are a knife, raffia and the wax heater with brush. A saw
is necessary if stocks are to be cut back, and pruning shears are
convenient for cutting scions into proper lengths and for trimming and
pruning stocks. The knife most used is the grafting knife of Maher &
Gross, with a three inch straight blade and a round handle that gives a
good grasp.
I used to suspect that the men who said that scions ought to be cut with
two strokes of the knife were trying to establish an unattainable ideal.
But after Mr. Jones and Dr. Morris had taught me how to sharpen my knife
I found that I could cut one that way myself sometimes. Mr. Jones's
method of sharpening is to hone the knife flat on the surface next the
scion and with a bevel on the upper edge. I found that this made scion
cutting so much easier that I thought it was the whole secret. But one
day I saw another doubter come up to Mr. Jones and ask him if it was
true that he could cut a scion with two strokes of the knife. Mr. Jones
said he thought he could but he had no knife just then. The man pulled
out his pocket knife and asked if that would do. Mr. Jones looked at it,
took a stick and with two strokes cut a perfect scion. Since then I have
felt that there is something to it besides the way you sharpen your
knife.
A very important element in shaping scions is to give a drawing motion
to the knife by keeping the handle well advanced before the blade. The
cutting is done with a draw and not a push. This is one of the most
important factors for success in shaping scions.
It seems hardly necessary to say that the stroke of the knife should be
away from the grafter. Yet it is a common sight to see beginners cutting
to the thumb.
Dr. Morris showed me that if, in sharpening your knife, you hold the
little whetstone between the thumb and middle finger of the left hand
you are less likely to put a feather edge on it. A feather edge is
something to clip the sprouting wings of any budding saint of a grafter.
When you get the right edge on your knife often you can use it the whole
day without resharpening, or at most with simply a stropping on a piece
of wood or leather. But improper use of the knife, or the least knick,
will spoil the edge and sometimes it will be quite difficult to get it
back. Therefore the blade should always be protected by a sheath, never
laid down or used for cutting raffia, or anything but the actual cutting
of the graft. For this purpose a leather sheath worn on the front of the
belt, as first used by Dr. Morris, is almost a necessity. This sheath
may be made by any leather worker and should have at least two pockets,
one for the grafting knife and one for another knife to be used for
trimming, cutting raffia and other odd things. It is convenient to have
a little pocket for a pencil also and one may provide places for other
articles of equipment at fancy.