Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Fourth Annual Meeting: Washington D.C. November 18 and 19, 1913
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Fourth Annual Meeting: Washington D.C. November 18 and 19, 1913
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
Hazels may be propagated in an unusual way from the cuttings of
branches, very much like roses, if these cuttings are placed in sand and
kept warm and moist, although they do not strike nearly so readily as
rose cuttings. I have not given much attention to this experiment in its
practical bearing, but have simply observed that hazel cuttings will
strike roots if they are particularly well cared for.
Experiments with hickories and with walnuts from branch cuttings were a
failure, but they remained alive so well and formed such good callus,
that I believe someone with steam-heated hot-house beds at his disposal
may by experimentation succeed in propagating some of these trees by
cuttings, particularly from herbaceous growth of the year, in August. As
an amateur plant physiologist I foresee what the more scientific plant
physiologists may do for this subject.
One unusual method for propagating nut trees may perhaps be described
more correctly as a method for propagating unusual nut trees, and it
opens a vista of distant horizon in horticulture. The discovery was due
to an accident, and I claim no credit beyond recognizing the
significance of an odd phenomenon.
Three years ago some pistillate chinkapin flowers which had been covered
with paper bags, were left unpollenized because I did not have pollen
enough to go round. The bags were left in place because I was busy with
other things. When these bags were removed at the end of about three
weeks, it was found that the flowers had set a full complement of nuts
without having received pollen. These nuts continued to develop and were
fertile. Some of them presented a peculiarity in growth of the
cotyledons and germ, both of which grew and protruded beyond the
involuere before the nuts were ripe, indicating that the germ had not
come to a state of rest during its usual period in the nut. This freak
appeared in only eight of the nuts, a larger number having normally
resting germs.
In all of these nuts it seemed to me we were probably dealing with
parthenogenesis. In order to make sure that no pollen had been carried
in by any sort of insect, I made check experiments last year, covering
pistillate flowers so carefully that there could be no question about
their having received no pollen. It was found that the chinkapin would
develop nuts freely in this way, and that the bitternut hickory,
shagbark hickory, and pignut (Hicoria glabra) would develop nuts
sparingly in this way.
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