Seedling black walnuts are common on farms of west Tennessee. Dr.
Richards and Mr. Rhodes have been most active in showing that these can
be topworked readily to improved black walnut varieties under the
conditions prevailing there. Mr. Rhodes has also fruited such older
Persian walnut varieties as Lancaster, Mayette, and Franquette on black
walnut stocks, but finds them generally unproductive in his climate.
Newer varieties, including some selections of the Carpathian strains are
now being tried and should be of fruiting age soon. Mr. Rhodes has also
found, at Covington, a heartnut that is vigorous and productive under
west Tennessee conditions. He finds that it buds readily on the native
black walnut. Some budded trees of it are over a dozen years old. They
have medium sized nuts, smooth shelled (with fairly thick shells for a
heartnut) and kernels of good flavor, coming out whole when the nuts are
cracked carefully. I am giving this variety the name Rhodes, and
suggesting it for use in west Tennessee because of its adaptability and
the fact that it can be budded upon black walnut. Others have reported
Japanese walnut (including heartnut) varieties incompatible with black
walnut at other locations. Dr. Richards has propagated some other
heartnut varieties on black walnut, but finds them more variable than
the Rhodes, in obtaining a good union.