n was
promptly eaten off by a rabbit or rodent of some description. The reason
for this cross originally, was that, so far as we could see in the last
fifteen years the male catkins never winter-kill; whereas filbert trees
are subject to this hazard. Some of the filbert varieties have the
ability to withstand changeable weather and not lose all of their
catkins. Others will winter-kill in the wood as well. We have removed
all our Barcelona and Du Chilly trees because they winter-killed almost
one hundred percent.

[5] Corylus rostrata.--Ed.

With the experience we have had with filberts, we believe that before
they could be commercialized, it would be necessary to have hardy
catkins that will withstand changeable weather: not altogether
resistance to extreme cold, but to temperatures that vary from warm to
freezing in a few hours. A mulch does help where the warm period is for
a short duration; but last winter we had a week or more of warm weather
in January, with rain and then a cold snap. Even then, some of the
catkins on the German varieties and others came through fairly well.

Selection of varieties for machine cracking or eating from the shell
should determine varieties one should grow, but hardiness should be the
key factor in selecting varieties. The following table shows some of the
crosses we made. Most of these seedlings have borne a few nuts to date,
but we cannot give anything definite as to whether the catkins are
hardier than those of the parents.

Table of Crosses:

Female Male

Italian Red Medium Long
" " Red Lambert
Medium Long " "
Cosford " "
" Vollkugel
Comet Cosford
" Vollkugel
Craig Red Lambert
Gellatly Vollkugel
Carey Red Lambert
Fertile de Coutard " "
Barcelona Vollkugel
Seedling (W) Red Lambert
" (E) Vollkugel

I would like to make a few remarks on our heartnut and Carpathian walnut
trees. Most of the heartnut varieties came from B. C. and we think that
Mr. Gellatly has some of the best obtainable anywhere in North America.
The Bates heartnut from J. F. Jones Nursery seems to be very hardy here,
and quality of nut is very good. We have found--comparing a heartnut
rootstock which grows two weeks later in the fall