eciable amount since 1937. Since the tree
yielded good crops in 1942 and 1943, we are now in a position to report
further on the Macedonia walnut. Based on cracking tests of nut samples,
the average nut weight and kernel percentage were 16.8 grams and 28
percent in 1942; and 16.4 grams and 29 percent in 1943. It is apparent
that the Macedonia black walnut has not exhibited those exceptional
characteristics of thinness of shell and high kernel percent which were
found in the original sample tested.

Report from Minnesota--Letter from Carl Weschcke to Miss Mildred Jones

The winter of 1942-43 was the most damaging on fruit and nut trees
within my experience of 25 years in River Falls, Wisconsin. The main
reason was that we had a long wet fall and all vegetation was in a
succulent green condition when our first snow storm of September 25th
hit us. For other details of this winter and the Armistice Day storm of
1941, the second in its deleterious effect on horticultural varieties,
please write Mr. C. G. Stratton, Coop. Observer, of River Falls,
Wisconsin, who is in charge of the U. S. Government weather bureau
there. Mr. Stratton furnished me with an affidavit showing one of our
very coldest winters in which the temperature went down, in February, to
47 deg. below zero. This was in 1936. This winter of extreme cold did very
little damage to trees, and an apricot on which I had taken out a plant
patent, subsequently called the Harriet apricot, went through this
winter without any damage and bore fruit the next year. This gave me
such confidence in its hardiness that I began to propagate it for sale.
The winter of 1942-43 wiped out practically all of the apricot trees of
this variety and all of the early Richmond cherries that had been
growing on my farm for nearly twenty years. It killed more than half of
the catalpa trees which were nearly as old. It also killed outright a
large Stabler black walnut which had been grafted on a Minnesota
seedling nearly twenty years previous. This was a fine large
flourishing tree that bore each year and I had thought because of this
behavior that Stabler was to be considered one of the hardiest of the
black walnuts. It had stood up better than Thomas many winters. I could
go on enumerating failures of many other varieties and species but it is
a long story and a sad one.

To make this report more concise I will now give you my opinion as to
what is hardy under these severe tests.