THE PRESIDENT: Are there other persons who wish to give themselves a chance of asking Mr. McMurran a question? I have a question that is troubling me. Perhaps the house can throw light upon it. I had a number of Persian walnuts, Vrooman Franquette and Mayette, grafted on black, and by the Fourth of July they were growing nicely, with tops all the way from four to twenty-four inches long, and then the tip got black and the blackness went down. I sent a sample to Mr. McMurran. The leaves first died and then the twigs.
MR. MCMURRAN: I received that, but it was so dried when I got it it was impossible to make anything out of it. I have seen the same thing on pecans, only in those cases the leaves just got black and fell off, and we never have been able to assign a reason for it.
THE PRESIDENT: Am I the only man that has had that experience?
A MEMBER: I had this year the same thing on the Vrooman Franquette, but it recovered and has made excellent growth since.
MR. MCMURRAN: Have yours subsequently lived?
THE PRESIDENT: No, they subsequently died. (Laughter.)
MR. J. F. JONES: I had that experience this summer. The new growth was very tender and took blight very readily.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, this doesn't appear to be blight.
MR. JONES: If the English walnut starts late and the tender growth comes in the hot weather, the sun will kill it.
THE PRESIDENT: You have described my conditions. These are late grafts. Have you had that same experience with late grafts and not with early ones?
MR. JONES: Yes, sir. The blight will show itself in the specks on the twig.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, do you mean on this sunburn?
THE PRESIDENT: There were no specks in this case. Has any other member any question on the blight? I want to call attention to the fact that we have here in this room tonight nearly every one who is studying the question in the eastern United States.
MR. MCMURRAN: Mr. President, I would like to say that we would like to get all the information we can on it.
A MEMBER: According to my observation, the blight is not going to do much to the tree, because the tree here makes its growth and hardens up before the blight comes. The blight, you see, must have moisture and heat to work, but it comes in just right to catch the nuts.