are found occurring naturally and seemingly hybrids between any
two are possible, and the fact of many of them being hybrids is not
evident on an inspection of the nuts. It is a noteworthy fact that quite
a proportion of fine hickories that are being propagated are evidently
hybrids and the number of our fine hickories which are evidently hybrids
increases as they are studied more carefully. In many ways it would be
desirable in the contest to offer prizes for the best nuts of each
species of hickories, but the difficulty of determining the species from
the nut alone, and the fact of such a proportion of our finest nuts
being hybrids is sufficient to discourage the attempt. What was done in
the 1918 contest, and what would seem to be the best thing that can be
done is to offer the prizes for hickory nuts simply. Most of the prizes
are taken by shagbarks but when a nut not a shagbark gets into the prize
winning class, we make a class that would include it. For example, in
the 1918 Contest, three shellbarks and one mockernut came into the prize
winning class, whereupon a special lot of prizes for shellbarks and
mockernuts were given. This enables us to do what would be accomplished
in offering prizes for best nuts of each species of hickories. The same
score card and tables therefore are used for each of these species. It
is convenient, in judging nuts, to differentiate between the pecan on
the one hand and the other hickories on the other, although study
recently put on the matter would seem to show that this distinction is
not exact and that some nuts, for example, which apparently are pure
pecans are really pecan hickory hybrids.

The differences between the structure of the shell of the nuts of
certain of the walnuts is greater than between the shell structure of
the hickories and the walnuts may be divided into three classes. Hybrids
between a number of species are found which have been formed naturally,
and seemingly hybrids between all species are possible. It is convenient
in judging nuts to differentiate between English walnuts, black walnuts,
and butternuts, which nuts are representative of the three walnut
classes and to include with the butternuts, the Japan walnuts. This will
strike many people as a strange classification, i. e. to include the
butternut and Japan walnut, but I feel sure that no one who has given
the matter much study will so consider it. Whenever the two grow in
proximity they hybridize so fr