Now, I have given these nut trees away to people south of Lake Ontario. You see, I am north of Lake Ontario, and those are around St. Catherines. There trees will grow and succeed. I have been told there is no check by frost on them. I have given a lots of those away. But with me they are absolutely worthless north of the Lake, and there is a vast difference in them.
Now, I thought, looking at a great, big nut, the Rumanian giant, thought sure a nut that big would be bitter. I thought sure that it wouldn't be hardy, but at any rate, I planted a few, and I have a nearly perfect reproduction of those nuts, and one is very hardy and very productive, and the other is not quite so hardy. It's a huge nut and not so productive. However, size has nothing to do with it. I noticed a certain type and shape of nut was sometimes quite tender, and then again the same shape of nut but different variety was quite hardy.
I sold a lot of trees in varying sizes, keeping the small and the runts and those that were injured by the tractor and other trees for myself, but I have enough varieties every year to come down and see some wonderful results.
For instance, I slashed one up badly to dwarf it, and it had a little, wee nut that big (indicating). When I cracked that nut, the shell was crammed full of meat, and it was exceedingly sweet, and it tasted like a hickory nut. So I cut my own throat, as it were.
DR. MacDANIELS: Mr. Chase's problem right now is to get these trees out somewhere where they can be tested further, and he has asked any of you if you want scions to get in touch with him.
DR. MacDANIELS: The farther south you go the worse they are.
MR. H. F. STOKE: May I also say a word? Also send them north. Sometimes the winter sun will start the growth activity, and then wind comes along and kills it. The original Crath that was started in Toronto, I had it killed back to five-year-old wood thick as my wrist one winter, when the sun moved it to activity. It was hardy in Toronto, but it wasn't hardy in Roanoke, Virginia.
DR. MacDANIELS: Let's have a showing of hands of those who have that trouble, starting in the spring and freezing back. (Showing of hands.) About five or six.
The next paper will be, "The Persian Walnut in Pennsylvania and Ohio," Mr. L. Walter Sherman.