110 



and cracking of the nnts, the disposal of the kernels and the profits 

 therefrom seem to be considered, especially in the South, as woman's 

 province. 



It is the intention of the committee in charge of this competition 

 to publish not only the names of the prize winners and those deserving 

 honorable mention, but also the names of all those who sent in nuts 

 worthy of serious consideration. This will make a very long list but it 

 is believed that it will be of great value -to make known the location of 

 these valuable trees scattered over so large an area of the country. 

 Many inquiries can thus be referred to good trees not many miles 

 distant from their homes that are known to be adapted to their own 

 localities. This may turn out to be very important because it is not 

 yet known that the very best varieties will be equally successful when 

 moved far from tlieir native adaptations. 



The final critical tests of the nuts selected by the committee were 

 made by Willard G. Bixby, Baldwin, N. Y., at the request of the com- 

 mittee, and the prizes were awarded on the basis of these tests. Mr. 

 Bixby's detailed report follows. 



It would not be fitting to neglect this opportunity of calling atten- 

 tion to the good fortune of the association, and of the nut growing in- 

 dustry, in having in Mr. Bixby a man of the means, ability, patience 

 and willingness to conduct so exhaustive a series of scientific tests in 

 determining the relative values of so many nuts. Such work is of per- 

 manent value to the whole world. 



Scions have been received from all, or nearly all, of the prize win- 

 ners, have been distributed to experienced propagators, and have been 

 successfully grafted. 



Letters were received from 1209 persons from 36 states, the Dis- 

 trict of Columbia and Canada. Some of them wrote several times. No 

 letters were received from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Colorado, 

 Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, Montana and the Dakotas. 



From a literary, sociological, and other points of view not directly 

 relating to the contest, these letters are interesting and would repay 

 further study. Unusual words, like "boskage" for thicket or woods, 

 "goodies" for kernels, and "poak" for bag, go back to the time of 



