geville, Duchess County. This farm is within fifteen miles
of the Connecticut line and some 50 to 75 miles above New York City. The
Alley was first brought to attention by Miss Alley in 1918, when she was
awarded first prize in the contest for that year of the Northern Nut
Growers Association. The late W. G. Bixby, in reporting for the
committee in charge, said that the Alley had a shell thinner than that
of Stabler and that the cracking quality was "100 per cent."

In none of the tests conducted by the department has this variety ranked
with the best of the more recent kinds, yet because of its latitude of
origin and the fact that in general merit it is well above the average
seedling, it is believed that it should be included in northern trial
plantings.

Three pounds of the 1931 crop tested by the department counted 39, 41
and 42 nuts each, respectively. The range was 36 to 45. The percentage
yield of quarter kernels was but 13.96, for out of 122 nuts cracked 15,
or 12.29 per cent, were bad. The total yield of kernel amounted to 25.57
per cent. The kernels that year were neither particularly plump nor
especially well filled.

BECK--The Beck is another Michigan variety of black walnut which in many
respects has compared favorably with the best varieties yet brought to
light from any source. The parent tree was called to the attention of
the U. S. Department of Agriculture in March, 1929, by Mr. Howard
Harris, R. F. D. 7, Allegan, Allegan County, Michigan. It was on a farm
then owned by Mr. Daniel Beck, R. F. D. 2, Hamilton, also of Allegan
County. It is a double tree standing in an open field some 20 rods back
of the barn. Like many other northern varieties of black walnut, the
nuts are rather small, ranging in 1930 from 28 to 49 per pound, and
having an average of 37. In that year it had the high percentage of
quarter kernels of 25.36, and a total percentage of kernel of 33.08. The
shell was thinner than that of the average black walnut, the cracking
quality very good, and the kernel bright-colored, plump, rich and sweet.

The Beck has been successfully grafted in the Bixby nursery at Baldwin,
Long Island, and at the E. A. Riehl Farm and Nursery at Godfrey,
Illinois; by J. W. Arata, Mishawka, Ind.; by Professor Neilson, and
probably by others. It is growing in the government test orchard at
Beltsville, Md.

BLOSS--The Bloss black walnut was called to the attention of this
department in January of 1934 by Mr. Joe