orked. Grafting was started in April and continued into the early
part of June. The later grafts were much more successful than the
earlier ones, although some of the April grafts grew and flourished.
Many of these grafts bore flowers and had little nutlets but none of
them ripened nuts. After about three seasons some of the grafts that
continued to live produced a few nuts.

Three varieties were practically mature, and then the native insect
pests caught up with them. Also, there was a black rot or wilt which I
am fairly sure was walnut bacteriosis disease, although specimens sent
out to competent authorities did not corroborate this diagnosis. What
turned out to be the butternut curculio attacked all grafted and
seedling trees with such vigor that there was no way to combat it. I
sprayed some of the grafted specimens and kept it up for several years,
trying to hold on to them, but it became too much for me and my
equipment; I doubt now whether any amount of poison would have saved the
trees because the butternut curculio is difficult to kill with poison.
One of the varieties, known as the Kremenetz, grafted on black walnut,
was sent to Harry Weber. It thrives and bears nice crops at his country
estate in Cleves, Ohio, near Cincinnati. He has sent me scions of this
variety, and this spring I grafted them back on black walnut, as the
butternut curculio is not nearly as bad as it was when there was so much
English walnut foliage for them to feed on (this foliage is their choice
over all other foliage). These insect pests also wiped out several
heartnut varieties which came from J. U. Gellatly, of Westbank, B. C,
Canada; for next to English walnuts the curculio loves heartnut foliage
and its new branch growth.

We have about 60 to 70 acres of woods which contain a large percentage
of butternut, therefore it is next to impossible to wipe out their
native food. I doubt very much whether this would have benefited the
situation at all, as the curculio would have then centered all its
activities on the English walnut foliage and perhaps have attacked
hickories, pecans, and black walnuts, on which they sometimes try their
appetites. Hybrids between butternut and black walnut are viciously
attacked by this curculio. Hybrids between English walnut and other
species of walnut which I have here also become a prey to curculio. So
there is no trick species which would be immune to their attack.

The English walnut usually vegetates