person with limited time can hardly hope to
examine more than a small proportion of them during the period when the
nuts are ripe. The scout for better nuts should lose no opportunity to
tell his errand to the people that he meets. I have found the average
stranger interested and cooperative. He may direct you to a superior
tree that you would never otherwise find. For this work one must be
able, like the successful inventor, to hold his enthusiasm after many
disappointments. If the coveted variety is not found, one at least has
been out in the woods and fields during a wonderful time of year.

The Use of Fertilizer in a Walnut Orchard

_By L. K. HOSTETTER, Pennsylvania_

Sometime in the fall of 1941 Professor Fagan of Pennsylvania State
College, and Mr. Graham of Cornell University, called on me and proposed
to make some fertilizer tests in my walnut orchard. The following spring
Professor Fagan sent me 16 bags of fertilizer, one bag for each tree.

These tests were divided into three parts and each part had one tree
that received nitrogen, superphosphate and potash, one that received
nitrogen and superphosphate, one nitrogen and potash, one superphosphate
only and one potash only and a sixth tree that received no fertilizer.

In the first group all the trees received a liberal amount of mulch. In
the second group they received no mulch but the same fertilizer as the
first group and in the third group they received the same fertilizer, no
mulch but raw lime was added to the fertilizer. One tree received lime
only.

There was a heavy sod in the part of the field where these tests were to
be made. This sod was torn up with a springtooth harrow (weed hog) about
March 15th and the fertilizer was applied on May 6th.

That year was a very poor one in which to make these tests, for during
all of July and August we had continuous rainy and cloudy weather and by
the first of September all of the leaves had turned yellow and dropped.

Most of the trees had a big crop of walnuts which were gathered about
October 10th, the nuts from each tree being kept separate. After they
were cracked the kernels were weighed and graded and believe it or not,
the tree that received lime only had the best grade of kernels, and
second best were one that received lime and potash and another lime,
nitrogen and potash. The tree that received mulch and potash also had a
very good grade of kernels.

In 1943 the same tests were repeated.