Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Seventh Annual Meeting: Washington, D. C. September 8 and 9, 1916.
Science
Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Seventh Annual Meeting: Washington, D. C. September 8 and 9, 1916.
Northern Nut Growers Association -- Periodicals; Nut trees -- Periodicals; Nuts -- Periodicals
DR. MORRIS: Just a word, in order to start the discussion. I have tried
to work out during the past year two or three points that came up for
discussion last year. I stated that in Connecticut the common American
hazel would probably not become a horticultural proposition for the
reason that the main stock seldom lives more than seven or eight years,
and then dies. New stolons, starting from the root, make abundant new
stocks. In that way, dying at the center, and growing at the periphery,
like a ring worm, one plant may extend so widely as to drive cows out of
the pasture lot. (Laughter). Dr. Deming understood me to say that it
spread so "rapidly" as to drive the cows out of a lot. I said "widely,"
not "rapidly." (Laughter). For that reason a plant of our common hazel
bears a few nuts about the third year; it bears a good crop about the
fourth year and sometimes in the fifth year. It then begins to die and
is gone by the seventh or eighth year, while new stolons, coming up on
all sides, are ready to perpetuate that rotation. That, at least, is
ordinary hazel history in my part of Connecticut. So I doubt if this
species will ever be a good horticultural proposition.
This year, for the first time, I have budded the European hazel upon our
common stock for the purpose of observing whether the character of the
guest will change the character of the host.
Now another point. Many of the European hazels that have been brought to
this country, I find, do not bear for the reason that they flower so
early that the staminate flowers are caught by frost--not the
pistillate. The pistillates will hold out against frost for a long time
and make good. There are two or three ways for overcoming this
difficulty. We may select for cultivation those kinds which bloom a week
or two, or even three weeks later than others, as in the case of the
Bony Bush variety.
There is hardly any more valuable tree in Central Europe than the purple
leafed hazel. I never have seen one bearing in this country. Its
staminate flowers come out too early in Connecticut. I have now some in
which I have grafted the Bony Bush, which flowers so much later that I
hope to have my purple hazels bearing nuts at Merribrooke.
On the whole, most of the points have been simply confirmatory of points
previously considered. We need not fear hazel blight because it is very
easily controlled, and many of the European hazels will furnish an
immensely valuable crop for almost all parts of temperate America. We
may develop, by breeding and by cultivation, types which will be hardy,
which will give us large, valuable, marketable crops, and which will be
desirable from the market man's point of view.
DR. STABLER: Can you get stocks that are free from blight?
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