subject remained in prominence during the three days of the convention
and the idea was suggested that the Association sponsor another trip to
Europe to obtain walnuts growing there which Rev. Crath considered even
hardier and finer than the ones he had. The plan was tabled, however,
for only two of us were eager to contribute to the venture.

On my return home, I thought more about what a splendid opportunity this
would be to procure hardy English walnuts to grow in this part of the
country. I interested my father in the idea, and, with his backing,
corresponded with Rev. Crath. This was not the first or the last time
that my father, Charles Weschcke, had encouraged me and had backed his
good wishes and advice with money. A professional man and a graduate of
pharmacy and chemistry of the University of Wisconsin, he showed an
unusual interest in my horticultural endeavors. The immediate outcome
was Rev. Crath's visit to my nursery at River Falls, to determine
whether material that he might collect could be properly tested there.
To my satisfaction, he found that temperature, soil conditions and stock
material were adequate for such work.

We contracted with Rev. Crath to reproduce asexually all the varieties
that he could discover and ship to us, agreeing to finance his trip and
to pay him a royalty whenever we sold trees resulting from the plant
material he sent us. We decided that the material which he was to gather
should include not only English walnuts but also the hazels or filberts
native to Poland. The walnuts were to consist of about six hundred
pounds of seeds, representing some forty varieties, several thousand
scions and about five hundred trees. We planned that the filberts should
consist of both trees and nuts, but because of a total failure of this
crop the year that Rev. Crath was there, only trees were available.