DEAN BAKER:  I told you I wanted to raise a discussion on this subject.  I really am a dyed-in-the-wool optimist.  I am willing to sacrifice some nut trees to laboratory purposes for the benefit of our young men.  We want the individuals to profit by the education.  This should be an educational society.

THE PRESIDENT:  I will ask the vice-president to take the chair.

MR. REED:  At the last meeting a committee was appointed to report on the Persian walnut, of which committee the president was the chairman, and will make his report at this time.

* * * * *

THE PRESIDENT:  Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:  I think you appreciate the chaos at the present moment in the status of investigation of the Persian walnut.  When Professor Fagan reports that the number of trees in Pennsylvania exceeds 2,000, most of which he has not seen, this chaos is evident.

The varieties propagated in the eastern United States are experiments.  I have done nothing that will compare with Mr. Fagan’s work, but have found certain interesting facts.

First:  I found in Maryland a Persian walnut which does not come into leaf until June.  When the cherries are ripe, it is just coming into leaf; and it has borne regularly for fifteen years.

While going through the orchards at Grenoble in France, I asked a man “What is the matter with that tree?” This was on June 9th.  “There is nothing the matter,” he told me, “it is only coming into leaf.”  I want to call your attention to possibilities of a hybrid of that tree and the Maryland tree.  The Persian walnuts of the Grenoble tree were of good quality, but low yield.  The Maryland tree is a heavy yielder but of third quality.

In this matter of variety, I want to emphasize Dr. Morris’s point of the great possibilities of the oriental walnut.  Great results are likely to be attained from the introduction of these species into Pennsylvania, New York and elsewhere in this country.

Second:  What is a good walnut?  They may be divided into three qualities: 

  1.  Positively sweet.
  2.  Neutral.
  3.  Those with a little bitterness in the skin of the kernel, which
     develops as you masticate the kernel.

Most of those which distinguish themselves for good yield here in the East are unfortunately of the third class.  I have taken samples of these to commercial dealers.  One of the largest walnut buyers in Philadelphia classifies the Grenobles as first class.  The California crop he classes second quality but pays more for it.  Most of the California quality is second class.  Eastern nuts are mostly third class.  I found one in New Jersey which was almost first class.

First quality apples are not grown for the market.  They are consumed by the growers.  They know the market would not pay for them.  They sell mostly the second and third class apples.  The present market for nuts is like the apple market.  The nut dealer told me to send along nuts, like several eastern samples, and he would sell them, even though they were third quality.  He has assured me that if he had the nuts he could sell them.