Northern Nut Growers Report of the Proceedings at the Twenty-First Annual Meeting | Page 6

it loses its edible qualities. I wouldn't care for it after it is a
few weeks old. After it is thoroughly cured and dried, I don't think the
Fairbanks fit to eat.
MEMBER: How about the Stratford?
MR. SNYDER: The original Stratford was cut for fire wood in 1926.
Just before it was cut it bore a heavy crop of nuts. Yesterday I cracked
one. I was right hungry and needed something to eat. I could eat them
yet. It is a great keeper. I know it was four years old or over.
MEMBER: How does it crack?
MR. SNYDER: It is a good cracker and very thin shelled. The Stratford
is, I think, a hybrid of the shagbark and bitternut. It is very evident that
it is a hybrid by the appearance of the nuts. But it doesn't have that
property of the Fairbanks of spoiling as it dries. The two nuts are very
different in that. You will find a great range of quality in these hybrids.
I believe that puts me through the list of hickories of which I have
made a list. I have a number of others under observation that may in the
future be of importance.
I have several black walnuts that have made their appearance since our
contest was completed. We now have one called the Finney. This
stands in Marshall County right beside the Northwestern Railroad track.
I sent this to Professor Drake of Arkansas for testing and he reported it
was a little better than Thomas, so I think we have a variety there that is
worth taking care of. I received the sample of nuts through a friend, I
believe it was three years ago. I didn't see anything particularly
attractive in the outside appearance of the nuts, so threw them aside and
didn't test them until some months later. I passed it up at that time as

not being better than the Thomas, anyway, and some months later I
cracked another one of them. I went on that way for the last year until
this last fall. I had quite a quantity of them and every time I came
across them I would sample them. Finally I sent some of them to
Professor Drake, with the results that I have mentioned. So now I have
concluded that it is a very worthwhile variety and I have begun
propagating them.
DR. DRAKE: Did you call it by another name before?
MR. SNYDER: Well, I believe I called it Brenton.
DR. DRAKE: That is the name I remember.
MR. SNYDER: From the extreme north line of our state, a place called
Cresco, I received samples of a walnut. This I considered on its first
appearance as being a worthwhile variety and I took it up with the party
who sent it to me and we agreed to call it Cresco. It is a very
thin-shelled walnut, above medium size, excellent eating quality, and
coming from so far north, and ripening and being of such excellent
quality, I thought it was worth looking after and we began propagating
it under that name.
We have another one that made its appearance in the Cedar Rapids
exposition, that has been named Safely. This is of the Ohio type of
walnut and I believe will prove to be just as good, possibly better. The
first samples received of this were ripened under unfavorable
conditions and were not fully up to their best. I think this will be worth
looking after, although I have not yet made an effort to propagate it or
get scions. It is owned by a cousin of mine so I could get them.
The best thing I have found in the state of Iowa I have authority to call
Burrows. This is the finest cracking black walnut I have ever found.
Just a crack of the hammer--four quarters. You don't have to pick them
out. It stands near the county line of Marshall County, near a little town
called Gillman.
THE PRESIDENT: Have you specimens of all of these?

MR. SNYDER: Yes, specimens on the tables. I believe this puts me
through the list of nuts as far as anything new is concerned. I am quite
an enthusiast about the black walnut. There is a double purpose in the
black walnut here in Iowa because our saw mill men tell me, and we
have the largest manufacturing walnut mills here in Iowa, they tell me
the Iowa grown walnut is the most valuable black walnut and they will
pay the best price for it. This alone makes it valuable to plant black
walnuts here in Iowa. Another thing, they are easily and quickly grown.
Our millers tell us that anyone who cuts down a walnut tree ought to be
compelled to plant two.