be quite a factor. The shallow planted seed
will have more oxygen available than deep planted seed, everything else
being equal.

If we are finished with the discussion or germination of seeds, we can
go on to the next question, that of a suitable root stock for
hickory--and that could keep us here for two or three days. Have you had
some experience, Mr. Ferguson?

MR. FERGUSON: We use the pecan and the shagbark as root stock for the
hickory group. Formerly we have used some of the bitternut, but we do
not use it any more. Some of the hickories will grow well on pecan, and
some are not satisfactory at all. What they will do in old age is hard
to tell. We have a few in the orchard down in Mr. Snyder's farm. I think
we have Stratford on pecan, which is not satisfactory. Pecan grows too
fast for the Stratford, and some way or other it just doesn't work.

MR. O'ROURKE: Are you familiar with Mr. Lassiter's stock work?

MR. FERGUSON: He has used the Rockville as an intermediate stock on
pecan. The Rockville is a hybrid of the pecan and the shellbark.

MR. O'ROURKE: Mr. Lassiter sent us a letter in which he stated that he
had a good variety of shagbark that when grafted on the Rockville
intermediate stock produced much better nuts than on pecans alone. Is
that due to the exceptional vigor of Rockville which apparently is a
hybrid and may have hybrid vigor? Again, we can only guess. This
interstock problem is a big problem. We now have some evidence that
pecan is not always satisfactory for all varieties of hickory, although
Mr. Dunstan at Greensboro, North Carolina, states it's been satisfactory
for every variety he has worked upon it.

MR. HARDY: I am inclined to believe that root stocks and scion varieties
worked in the north and grown in the north or worked in the south and
grown in the south may not react the same.

MR. WILSON: I think you are right on that.

MR. O'ROURKE: Mr. Gilbert Smith's report of yesterday indicated a pecan
was not satisfactory with him in New York State, and that may bear out
the comment that Mr. Hardy has made.

MR. GERARDI: Well, I think that is true enough, myself. In southern
Illinois I find that the bitternut hickory root for shellbark or
shagbark don't seem to be satisfactory at all. With the shagbark on
pecan, the variety of shagbark makes a difference. Some varieties of
shagbark, and shellbark hickories seem to do all right, and then again
others don't. It's going to need further