99 



good quality of one parent tree with a good quality of another, we can 

 almost make what we want, provided we have the proper material to 

 start with. We sometimes also will get a quality greatly superior to 

 those found in either parent. 



Figure 2, opposite page 97 sliows the Beaver hickory and a common 

 shaigbark and bitternut of that part of Pennsylvania where it origi- 

 nated. The Beaver hickory evidently grew from a shagbark hickory 

 flower pollinated with bitternut pollen about 1878. The tree which 

 bore the shagbark nut which was planted is still stand,ing, and it bears 

 quite ordinary looking nuts, very much like the nut to the left, marked 

 shagbark. Unfortunately a nut borne by this particular tree could 

 not be located when wanted for this cut, but, as I remember, it is not 

 very different from the nut shown. The bitternut shown in figure 2 

 is even larger than most bitternut hickories that I have seen from 

 that section of Pennsylvania. Bitternuts are generally of small size 

 and, while of thin shell, the kernel is so bitter as to be useless. Here 

 in the Beaver hybrid we have ordinary plus worthless equals extra- 

 ordinary. The thick hard shell of the shagbark has been replaced by 

 one very much thinner and softer, and the bitter flavor of the bitternut 

 by the fine flavor of the shagbark, and a nut produced larger than 

 either parent. 



Figure 3, opposite page 97 shows one of the results of the plant 

 breeding work of the late J. F. Jones of Lancaster, Penn. The 

 European filbert bears large nuts of fine flavor, but in the east gen- 

 erally bears sparingly and irregularly, often scarcely bearing at all. 

 The American hazel bears large crops annually, but the nuts are much 

 smaller and poorer than the European filberts. Mr. Jones attempted 

 to combine in one nut the good qualities of both and succeeded in 

 getting a number that promise well. He made hybrids between the 

 Rush hazel, the best American hazel that we have, and several fil- 

 berts. Mr. Jones did not leave notations telling the parentage of his 

 hybrid hazels. He did, however, tell the writer of the Cosford va- 

 riety being notable because its hybrids were much larger than either 

 parent. It is probable that Jones hazel 269 is a Rush x Cosford 

 hybrid, because, in addition to the large size, it shows the distinctive 

 markings of the Cosford filbert. I had no Cosford nut to use in 



