I saw your statement in the _Southern Planter_ this morning and am writing, not to tell you where choice nut-specimens are to be obtained but to ask a few questions relative to the obtaining the _best_ information possible to the growing of nuts. I have a ten-acre tract about twelve miles straight south of Staunton, Va. When I purchased the tract the chestnut and hickory were thriving. I have had about one half of the property cleared and some trees planted. Among the trees are twelve hardy English walnuts from Green's Nursery, Rochester, N. Y., 6 "Mayo" and 6 "Pomeroy" walnuts from Glen Brothers, Rochester, N. Y. I am interested in nut-culture. I have inquired of Glen Brothers if the Kentish Cob would thrive there. They assure me it will. If there is a chance to make a success of nuts, I would turn my time and thought to the raising of walnuts and Kentish cobs and filberts. What would you advise? If you cannot give me the desired information, kindly give me directions to the one who can. I was brought up among the walnuts and filberts and cob-nuts in the County of Kent, England, and now my thoughts are turning to the delights of earlier days and I intend coming to the Shenandoah Valley in the near future and making my home there.... THE SECRETARY'S REPLY GEORGETOWN, CONN., November 13, 1914. MY DEAR MR. ----: It gives me great pleasure to reply as well as I am able to your letter of November 10th. You are in the position of many thoughtful men of the present day in craving the peace and delight of a life that is nearer to nature. You have also a small tract of land in a favored part of our country, and you have been led to believe, by the statements that you have run across in chance sources, that the returns from nut growing may enable you to attain your ambition. Our president has a place at Roundhill, Va., not very many miles from yours. He is a professor of something like "Efficiency" in the University of Pennsylvania. He is young, aggressive and very efficient himself. His father was, and he himself is, an orchardist and fruit grower. Both he and I have been for some years working at the problems of nut growing. But it is only this year that we seem to have overcome the difficulties of grafting and budding nut trees. We have the greatest faith in the future success of nut growing, but we do not know how long it will be before we shall know just what varieties of nuts to plant ourselves, least of all to advise others to plant, with any certainty of success. For the man, however, who realizes that nut growing in the North is still in the experimental stage, we have no end of information and advice.