135 



perimentation rnther than of sound commercial investment. 



A common error in the minds of the American people is the assump- 

 tion that to be a success, a thing must be iDerformed upon a large scale. 

 To develop a nut industry, it is imagined that there must be great 

 orchards of hundreds of acres. It is not realized that a great propor- 

 tion of the walnuts, almonds, filberts, and chestnuts annually imported 

 from Europe, are from roadside, hillside and door-yard trees which 

 could as well have been grown in this country on what is now idle 

 land in thickly populated agricultural districts. No one need expect to 

 atttain great wealth from the products of door-j'ard or waste land trees 

 'but the by-product which could readily be salvaged from nut trees, 

 would likely be very acceptable when interest and taxes or other bills 

 come due. 



WALNUT GRAFTING INVESTIGATIONS 



T. J. Tcdhert, Professor of Horticidture, University of Missouri, 



College of Agriculture 



These investigations are to determine the best varieties of the im- 

 proved black walnut for Missouri. Valuable information is also being 

 procured in reference to the topworking or cleft grafting of the native 

 seedling black walnut to the improved sorts. 



Since practically every Missouri farm contains some waste land 

 upon which the native walnut and other nut trees may be growing, 

 it is believed that it is possible to topwork these seedling sorts to im^ 

 proved kinds which will not only supjDly a larger quantity of thinner 

 shelled, more highly flavored nuts for home use, but a surplus for the 

 market. There is a growing demand for the seedling black walnut. 



At tlie present time Missouri leads all other states in the produc- 

 tion of this nut. The results which are being obtained in this experi- 

 ment are proving to be of unusual interest and profit to Missouri grow- 

 ers. 



The investigation has been extended to include, besides black wal- 

 nuts, pecans, hickories, hazel nuts, chinkajjins and chestnuts. With 

 eich of these nuts our object is to determine better varieties for Mis- 

 souri conditions, more jjrofitable and economical methods of produc- 

 tion and more satisfactory methods of culture, as well as to stimulate 

 an interest in tlie marketing and larger use of these products. 



Tlie improved varieties of seedling black walnut have been found 

 to be exceedingly easj- to propagate by cleft grafting the native or 



