iner 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.

Altogether I have grafted about 70 varieties of hickory and its hybrids
on bitternut stocks in my attempts to increase the number of varieties
of cultured hickory trees in the North. Most of those I worked with were
compatible with the bitternut stock, but a few, perhaps a dozen, have
indicated tha