﻿16 
  

  

  during 
  the 
  time 
  when 
  squirrels 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  ascend 
  the 
  tree. 
  

   They 
  will 
  begin 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  nuts 
  are 
  ripe. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  

   hazel 
  nuts, 
  I 
  have 
  surrounded 
  the 
  bushes 
  with 
  a 
  wire 
  fence 
  or 
  

   wire 
  mesh, 
  leaving 
  a 
  little 
  opening 
  ^on 
  one 
  side, 
  and 
  have 
  placed 
  

   steel 
  traps 
  in 
  the 
  opening. 
  Now 
  here 
  enters 
  a 
  danger 
  which 
  

   one 
  does 
  not 
  learn 
  about 
  excepting 
  from 
  practical 
  experience. 
  

   I 
  went 
  out 
  one 
  morning 
  shortly 
  after 
  having 
  thought 
  of 
  this 
  

   bright 
  idea 
  and 
  found 
  two 
  gray 
  squirrels 
  in 
  the 
  traps. 
  They 
  

   had 
  followed 
  their 
  natural 
  instinct 
  of 
  climbing 
  when 
  they 
  got 
  

   into 
  the 
  steel 
  traps, 
  and 
  climbing 
  wildly 
  had 
  broken 
  off 
  every 
  

   single 
  branch 
  from 
  those 
  hazels 
  which 
  carried 
  hybridized 
  nuts. 
  

   There 
  wasn't 
  one 
  left, 
  because 
  the 
  squirrels 
  when 
  caught 
  had 
  

   climbed 
  into 
  the 
  trees 
  and 
  had 
  so 
  violently 
  torn 
  about 
  with 
  

   trap 
  and 
  chain 
  that 
  they 
  had 
  broken 
  off 
  every 
  single 
  branch 
  

   with 
  a 
  nut 
  on 
  it. 
  So 
  many 
  things 
  happen 
  in 
  our 
  experiments 
  

   that 
  appeal 
  to 
  one's 
  sense 
  of 
  the 
  ludicrous, 
  if 
  he 
  has 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  

   humor, 
  that 
  I 
  assure 
  you 
  nut 
  raising 
  is 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  great 
  delight 
  

   to 
  those 
  who 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  the 
  drama. 
  

  

  The 
  field 
  of 
  hybridizing 
  nut 
  trees 
  offers 
  enormous 
  prospects. 
  

   We 
  are 
  only 
  just 
  upon 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  this 
  field, 
  just 
  beginning 
  

   to 
  look 
  into 
  the 
  vista. 
  It 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  only 
  in 
  a 
  limited 
  way, 
  

   £0 
  far, 
  by 
  crossing 
  pollen 
  and 
  flowers 
  under 
  quite 
  normal 
  con- 
  

   ditions. 
  We 
  may 
  look 
  forward 
  to 
  extending 
  the 
  range 
  now 
  of 
  

   pollinization 
  from 
  knowledge 
  based 
  upon 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  

   Loeb 
  and 
  his 
  followers 
  in 
  biology. 
  They 
  have 
  succeeded 
  in 
  

   developing 
  embryos 
  from 
  the 
  eggs 
  of 
  the 
  sea 
  urchin, 
  of 
  the 
  

   nereis, 
  and 
  of 
  mollusks, 
  without 
  spermatozoa. 
  Their 
  work 
  has 
  

   shown 
  that 
  each 
  egg 
  is 
  a 
  single 
  cell 
  with 
  a 
  cell 
  membrane 
  and 
  

   it 
  is 
  only 
  necessary 
  to 
  destroy 
  this 
  cell 
  membrane 
  according 
  

   to 
  a 
  definite 
  plan 
  to 
  start 
  that 
  egg 
  to 
  growing. 
  Life 
  may 
  be 
  

   started 
  from 
  the 
  egg 
  in 
  certain 
  species 
  without 
  the 
  presence 
  

   of 
  the 
  other 
  sex. 
  This 
  may 
  lead 
  us 
  into 
  a 
  tremendous 
  new 
  field 
  

   in 
  our 
  horticultural 
  work. 
  We 
  may 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  treat 
  germ 
  cells 
  

   with 
  acids 
  or 
  other 
  substances 
  which 
  destroy 
  the 
  cell 
  membrane 
  

   so 
  as 
  to 
  allow 
  crossing 
  between 
  very 
  widely 
  separated 
  species 
  

   and 
  genera. 
  Loeb, 
  by 
  destroying 
  the 
  cell 
  membrane 
  of 
  the 
  

   sea 
  urchin, 
  was 
  enabled 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  sea 
  urchin 
  with 
  the 
  star 
  fish, 
  

   and 
  no 
  one 
  knows 
  but 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  able, 
  following 
  this 
  line 
  of 
  

   experimentation, 
  eventually 
  to 
  cross 
  the 
  shagbark 
  hickory 
  with 
  

   a 
  pumpkin 
  and 
  get 
  a 
  shagbark 
  hickory 
  nut 
  half 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   pumpkin. 
  That 
  is 
  all! 
  (Applause.) 
  

  

  