is the commercial one of being only medium in size, so that compared to English walnuts, for example, they become unimpressive.  I have noticed time and again that the average person will pass over a small, sweet nut to choose a larger one even though the latter may not have as attractive a flavor.  This is noticeably true in regard to pecans, when the large paper-shell types, which have a rather dry, sweet kernel, are almost invariably preferred to the smaller ones of finer flavor, which are plump and have slightly thicker shells.

Previous to finding the Weschcke hickory, I experimented with several varieties of hickory hybrids.  In March 1924, I purchased twelve Beaver and twelve Fairbanks hybrid hickories from J. F. Jones.  I planted these trees in April of that year but of the lot, only two Beaver trees lived to bear nuts.  One of these is still growing on my farm, in thin, clay soil underlaid with limestone, and it bears nuts annually.  It is only a fair-sized tree but I think its slow growth has protected it from the usual amount of winter damage.  I also ordered from Mr. Jones, in July 1924, 12 Marquardt hiccans, 12 Laney, 12 Siers, 34 Beaver and 30 Fairbanks.  The last four are hybrids between species of hickories.  Out of the whole order, amounting to one hundred trees, none remains alive now.

The Marquardt hiccan mentioned above was the subject of dispute among nut culturists for a time but it has been definitely agreed now, that the Marquardt was never actually propagated, the tree having been lost or cut down before scions were taken from it.  Substitutes were taken from the Burlington, a hybrid whose nut is similar to the Marquardt and whose foliage and other attributes are thought to be like it.  The name of Marquardt persisted for several years, however, and it has been entirely discarded only recently.  The Burlington is now known to be the representative of that part of Iowa.  However, I grafted some of the tops of the Marquardt trees from Jones to bitternut trees at the time that I transplanted them; several of the grafts made successful growth and resulted in several trees growing deep in the woods.  After 28 years these grafts are still alive and certainly have established their right to be called compatible with bitternut hickory stocks.  Close examination of the branches, leaves and buds, particularly the leaf-scars, indicate that this hiccan is enough different and more hardy than the Burlington, which also grows well on the bitternut, to discredit the story that the Marquardt is lost.  It will not be determined, however, that this is the genuine Marquardt until it has fruited.