The fact that the stocks and scion-wood varied widely in size and vigor and the further fact that the scions were from several varieties of western stock are quite sufficient causes for no uniform results in this respect.
The wood of all successful grafts appears to be in excellent condition for the winter season and we are looking forward to an interesting further growth of these next year, though the trees have just been transplanted. In order to doubly insure ourselves against loss of the varieties now growing one half, or even more in a few instances, of the young wood has been removed and placed in a cold room so that further grafting or budding of these varieties may be made next year.
Nursery trees of the Franquette, Pomeroy, Parisienne and unidentified others, on their own roots are making a pitiable effort at successful growth, while all wood on the black stock is making excellent growth.
In one instance the wood of Mayquette a cross between Mayette and Franquette formed two nutlets. Lack of pollen was all that prevented the fruiting of one-year-old grafted trees. A splendid point for the unit orchard booster, but a point of no value to the real walnut grower.
Owing to the very vigorous weather of the past winter the catkins on the older Persians at Arlington Farm were killed. In order to study the conduct and product of these trees we sought pollen elsewhere to fertilize their liberal display of pistils. We were successful in obtaining some from the trees of Messrs. Killen and Rosa, and Miss Lea, but though this and some pollen of black, butternut and the Japanese was used no pollenation was successful.
In the case of sieboldiana, however, we succeeded in securing what appears to be fruit of certain definite cross-fertilization, as sieboldiana x nigra; sieboldiana x cinerea and possibly sieboldiana x regia.
Only in one instance did the nuts appear to have other than the usual characters of sieboldiana.
The nuts of the cinerea cross were longer, more tubular and somewhat deeper furrowed and darker.
Unfortunately some conflicting results in the fruiting of the sieboldiana places the possible cross-fruits under a cloud.
A peculiarity of the blossoming of the sieboldiana at Arlington this year was that the stamens and pistils of an individual tree opened at dates of six to ten days apart, and with the tree used for crossing the catkins were all off before the pistils opened. As no two trees are near together, perhaps two to three hundred feet being the closest, natural cross-pollenating was not expected. However, after the cross-pollenations by hand were made and fruits set, and even matured, it was found that some clusters had from one to three more nuts than were hand treated. Many of the clusters had less nuts than the number of pistils treated, which was to be expected.