ther cut it in April
with the buds green than to cut it in the first of March right after a
freeze. I have had excellent results just this spring cutting extra
graft wood with green buds on. But if you cut it within 48 hours after a
freezing temperature, you might just as well throw it away.

MR. O'ROURKE: I am very glad you brought that out. Irrespective of
whether it be pecan or hickory, I believe it would work the same, that
the scion wood should be cut when it is moist, and that is not the
condition after a freeze, when it is in very dry condition.

Let's get back to this seed propagation now. I am asking anyone here,
can you throw any light at all on the need for stratification of pecan
or hickory seed of any species.

MR. CALDWELL: I have read in several publications that hickories should
be stratified over the winter period before planting for spring
germination. I always find things a little bit different, so a year ago
at the greenhouse I took seven different sources of seed of shagbark
hickory, _Carya ovata_ and one source of _Carya ovalis_. Some of those
seeds germinated within three weeks from the time I put them in, and
after a month and a half I had a full stand in all cases. I don't think
that more than 2 per cent of the seeds failed to germinate. They were
planted in warm greenhouse, with a minimum of, about 68 degrees at
night and about 90 during the day. They were planted in a combination of
peat and garden soil; no special care other than water. I have had no
trouble since the seedlings have continued to grow, even though the
seeds were planted only two and a half inches deep. So it may be that
there is no need for stratifying hickories.

MR. O'ROURKE: Your experience is the exact duplication of Dr. Lelia
Barton's of the Boyce-Thompson Institute. She found that hickory seeds
germinated from three weeks, as you did, to a number of months, when put
in a warm greenhouse. Apparently the difference in time is related to
the thickness of the seed coat or possibly to an inhibitor in the
pellicle rather than to any need for after-ripening. I think that
Burdette in Texas also pointed out that thick-shelled pecans took longer
to germinate than thin-shelled pecans.

MR. PATAKY: If you take a nut of any kind and let it dry and plant it,
you will get quicker germination than if you plant it soon after
harvest. I don't see any difference in taking a nut and planting it and
stratifying it. If planted the rodent