foot or 18
inches. If you get about 24 inches in a specially good soil, or about 30
inches of root ordinarily that's all you want.

A member: I should think that would depend quite a little on the height
of the water-table. If you were planting on land where the water-table
is low, you would leave more tap-root?

Mr. Hutt: Yes.

A member: That was the reason I brought up the point, because I think
cutting so short would be too severe.

Mr. Hutt: The cambium is the only part of the tree that maintains
growth. Every wound kills the cambium to a certain extent, so I always
cut off roots of any size with sharp shears as smoothly as possible. I
cut far enough back to find good, fresh, living tissue. In moist soil
that will callous over. In the South the soil is moist and we have
growing conditions in the winter time, so it will callous over during
the winter. In the North, I understand, you make a practice of planting
in the spring, because of the weather conditions.

Mr. Harris: In Western Maryland we have in the mountains a deep, sandy
soil; there doesn't appear to be any water bottom to it; what would the
tap-root do in that case?

Mr. Hutt: It will go down until it finds what it wants, finds sufficient
moisture.

Mr. Harris: Gravelly bottom?

Mr. Hutt: If you have ever seen the roots of a long leaf pine, you've
seen where the roots go to when they get a chance.

Prof. Smith: I should like to ask Dr. Deming if he would give us his
experience in propagating the walnut and hickory?

Dr. Deming: A very important thing indeed for us nut growers in the
North is to learn how to propagate. Dr. Morris has had some success; I
haven't had any. I have tried it summer and spring, year after year. I
believe there are a few pieces of bark, without buds, still growing.
Chestnuts I haven't found very difficult, but with the walnut and
hickory I have had no success whatever, although I have practiced the
best technique I could master. I think one reason why I have had no
success is that I haven't had good material. I have had good stocks, but
I haven't had good scions, not the sort of scion that the successful
southern nurserymen use. Still, Dr. Morris has had success with the same
kind of material that I have failed with.

The Chairman: Not very much success.

Mr. Lake: Dr. Deming said that the land ought not to be too dry nor too
wet. Would you feel like saying that a water-table at 24 inches was
neither too low nor too