The two items cracking quality need a little explanation. Last year 20 points were awarded for cracking quality and 5 points for plumpness of kernel. Plumpness was very difficult of estimation. It means the reverse of shrivelled. To assign values for this can only be done by appearance and it seemed impossible of measurement. A study of the nuts of the 1918 contest which were awarded high values for plumpness and those which were awarded low values showed that in no case was a nut which had a shrivelled kernel awarded a high value for proportion of kernel. Sometimes a nut with a plump kernel had a very thick shell and a low proportion of kernel but in no instance did a nut with a shrivelled kernel have a high proportion of kernel, so it was thought that for practical purposes the figure for proportion of kernel would answer very well to represent excellence in both characteristics. It was also evident that the ratio of the weight of the portion of the kernel which, after cracking, could be easily picked out with the fingers to the total weight of the kernel, which was taken to represent cracking quality last year, was capable of more refinement for it was noticed that of those nuts where the entire kernel could be easily picked out with the fingers after cracking that some were better crackers than others, for, in some instances, the entire kernel fell out. As the proportion of the kernel which could be picked out easily with the fingers is seemingly the most important this was still given 20 points and called "cracking quality commercial," and the figure representing the proportion of kernel which dropped out after cracking was called "cracking quality absolute," and awarded the 5 points formerly awarded to plumpness. In the case of the hazel which generally has a cracking quality both absolute and commercial of 100% the item "freedom from fibre" was substituted for "cracking quality absolute." The hazel seems to be the only nut where this characteristic must be considered.