hickory, which took
the prize one year, the next year fell so far down that it would not
take any prize. But after a good deal of trouble I found that by careful
examination I could pick out from the nuts a few which tested up as they
did before. It occurred to me that a condition of that kind would be
more likely to be due to difference in the soil than in the fertility of
the pollen. Dr. Waite has had more or less experience in noting the
effect of the pollen, and I would like to ask if he thought this the
cause of the difference in the nuts.

DR. WAITE: I think it might be the cause for a little difference, but we
could account for the difference by entirely different things. By
environment and other conditions. Take the apples grown in this
vicinity; I have observed that certain seasons fit certain varieties.
This year it was favorable for Ben Davis, and yet we have had a poor
crop of most varieties; the conditions were bad for the Winesap to set,
but yet the fruit is good. Every year and every day is different; and
plants are subjected to these complications, and the yield, or the
result in fruit, is a response to environment. They are so very
susceptible to these things. I came here this morning after picking some
cross pollenated pears on the Arlington Farm. We have a lot of crosses
there where we study the hybrid seedlings. Some will be almost too poor,
in certain years, to deserve further attention, and good another season.
In other words, these nuts probably do not vary any more from year to
year than many of our fruits and vegetables do, and the main factor is
probably response to environment, namely, temperature, air humidity,
soil moisture and sunshine.

THE PRESIDENT: I might mention that we have had a filbert orchard at
Rochester for eleven years, and there has not been the slightest
indication of blight there yet.

MR. REED: I would like to ask Senator Penny how the Roadside Bill is
taken in Michigan.

SENATOR PENNY: According to the Michigan law, the people along the
roadside consider that their property is subject to the right of
transportation on the highway; just as a stream is owned by individuals
in Michigan, subject to the right of individuals to use it. This bill
says, "Give the right to plant trees on the highway," and I think the
planting is done with the consent of the owner. The agricultural college
has a landscape gardener connected with the landscape department; he
will have charge of