humus; acidity; sod or
cultivated, mulch or not; depth and kind of subsoil.

5. Moisture Conditions--presence of stream or tile drain, proximity
to to stream, lake, pond, etc.

6. Fertility Conditions--wild natural state, near barnyard,
fertilized or not with manure or commercial fertilizers,
application of lime, etc.

The second section will contain information that will aid in awarding
the final prizes. Superior rating under this head might, in the final
judging, make an "honorable mention" of the 1946 contest the best all
around performer three or five years hence. This section will include:

1. Resistance to disease and insect pests 2 points

2. Bearing habits over the given period; annual, biennial,
occasional 7 points

3. Length of growing season; rate of growth; time of
blossoming (staminate and pistillate flowers), time of
leafing out, time of nut ripening, time of leaf fall 4 points

4. Size of nut clusters, range in number of nuts, per
cluster, number of pounds of immature nuts 2 points

5. Size of crop in proportion to tree 5 points

Total 20 points

Some formula will have to be worked out for the last, i.e., size of crop
in proportion to the size of tree. Perhaps we might say the crop equals
(pounds of nuts) / (r squared x h) in which "r" would represent the
radius or half the limb spread and "h" the height, measured from the top
to lowest branches.

For example, if a tree that yielded 100 pounds of nuts had a limb spread
of 20 feet and was twenty feet high, it would have a value of 100 / (10
squared x 20) or 1/20. The fraction, of course, could be eliminated if
the number of nuts were substituted for pounds. It is hardly likely that
such a formula would be used for all the trees, probably only in
instances where scores in other respects were close.

The third section of the score card will record the rating of the judges
on the cracking qualities and other characteristics of the nuts
themselves. Any form accepted and approved by the NNGA will be
satisfactory.

We plan to use this system for hickory, butternut and other nut
contests. Without a Mr. Davidson, however, we shall be compelled to
reduce our prizes for the other contests.

I should like to take this opportunity to