44 NUT GROWING 



at a distance introduces a delightful feature of new 

 work. One will find little islands of friendship 

 among men in far away states and countries. The 

 exchange of seeds, scions and ideas among enthu- 

 siasts of similar tastes adds the human social touch in 

 a way that is most enjoyable. 



A full orchard setting of grafted trees may be 

 purchased from the nurseryman if expense is a minor 

 question. One or all of these ways -will suffice for 

 the launching of the project. 



The growing of nut trees from cuttings may be 

 developed later but as yet has received little atten- 

 tion. I have succeeded in starting hazels and the 

 akJer leaf chestnut from branch cuttings and the 

 shagbark hickory from root cutitngs, but not to a 

 practical extent. Experimentation under hot house 

 conditions should be carried out with cuttings from 

 all of our nut trees. In American Forestry, p. 625, 

 October, 1920, reference is made to an old belief 

 that cuttings stuck into a potato will strike root if 

 the potato is then planted. The note comes too late 

 for a test of the idea this year at the time of writing. 

 It may be that enzymes of the potato will excite root 

 formation in something so apparently foreign as a 

 tree cutting. We do not as yet know about reactions 

 that horticulturists of to-morrow may bring about in 

 plant physiology. 



I. PLANTING FROM SEED 



We do not plant nuts with the idea of raising 

 seedling trees. It has been done in years past by men 



