CHAPTER V.

THE CHESTNUT.

[Illustration: FIG. 12. CHESTNUT FLOWERS.]

Castanea, _Tournefort_. The ancient classical name derived either

from Castanis, a town in Thessaly, or one in Pontius, as historians

disagree in regard to its derivation. The genus belongs to the order

_Cupuliferae_.

Male flowers irregularly clustered in long, naked, cylindrical

catkins from the axils of the leaves and on the new shoots of the

season. Calyx five or six parted; stamens or pollen-bearing organs

seven to fifteen; anther two-celled. On old, mature trees, the male

catkins are usually crowded near the end of the short new twigs, as

shown in Fig. 12, the terminal one productive; but on young thrifty

trees, wide apart. Female flowers always on and near the base of a

late-developed male catkin, sometimes two or three together,--or

even six or eight on the chinquapins,--oval or ovoid, scaly,

prickly, two- to four-valved involucre or bur; calyx usually with a

four- to six-lobed border crowning the three- to seven-celled ovary;

stigmas bristle-shaped, and as many in number as there are cells in

the ovary. Shell of the nut leathery, not brittle, ovoid, two or

more together in the larger species, in others solitary, or only one

in a bur. Kernel very thick, fleshy, and somewhat plaited, sweet and

edible.

Both male and female flowers appear late in spring, the males

usually exceedingly so, exhaling a slightly nauseating odor. The

productive male catkins appear the latest, their base becoming the

rachis or stalk supporting the burs, this rather anomalous

arrangement appearing to be a natural provision to secure

fertilization in case the earlier catkins failed.

The genus _Castanea_, as now restricted, contains shrubs and large

trees, with simple, alternate deciduous leaves, coarsely serrate,

with pointed spiny teeth. Indigenous, and widely distributed over

northern Africa, southern Europe, Asia and the eastern half of the

United States.

The common English name of this nut is supposed to be derived from

the Anglo-Saxon _cystel_, chestnut, and _cyst-beam_ or

_cisten-beam_, chestnut tree; Old English, _chastein_ or _chesten_;

Old German, _chestinna_ or _kestinna_; Modern German, _kestene_ or

_kastanie_; French, _castaigne_ or _chataigne_; Provencal,

_castanha_; Spanish, _castana_; Italian, _castagna_, from the Latin

_castanea_.

=History of the Chestnut.=--The so-called European chestnut is

supposed to be indigenous to Asia Minor, Armenia, Caucasus and

northern Africa, and from these countries it was introduced and

became naturalized throughout the greater part of temperate Europe,

where it has been cultivated from time immemorial. The Romans are

supposed to have distributed it northward through France and Great

Britain, and in the latter country there were trees centuries ago of

such large size that many of the early English authors claimed this

tree was indigenous. But in the absence of any natural forests of

chestnut, the claim had to be abandoned. In parts of France, Italy

and Spain, the chestnut has become thoroughly naturalized and, as we

may say, run wild, but as one of the early investigators says, in

speaking of the abundance of old chestnut trees on the Apennines,

they are generally scattered over the surface like trees on a

well-arranged lawn, and not crowded and massed, as they would be in

a state of nature or in a forest. On the south side of the Alps the

trees grow up to an altitude of twenty-five hundred feet, and on the

Pyrenees some two or three hundred feet higher.

There are old trees of immense size almost everywhere in the milder

regions of Europe, and the celebrated monarchs of Etna have been

many times described by travelers. The largest measure one hundred

and eighty feet in circumference near the root. All the early Roman

writers who have anything to say about rural affairs, mention the

chestnut as one of their valuable trees, producing nuts used for

various purposes. Pliny enumerates eight varieties, but Columella

appears to place more value upon the timber, especially the sprouts,

for stakes, than he does on the nuts. But long before the Romans

began to cultivate the chestnut, the Greeks held it in high esteem

under the name of _Sardianos Balanos_ or Sardis nut, and still later

it was called _Dios Balanos Lopimon_.

The European chestnut has been so frequently and extensively

referred to by ancient and modern authors that it would not be at

all difficult to fill a large volume with brief extracts from their

works, but my aim is not so much to show what has been done with

this nut in other countries as what we may do with it here. All

nations who have any experience with it admit its value as food for

many wild and domesticated animals, as well as for the human race,

and we know, from our long experience with the native species, that

it is highly esteemed wherever known, although it must be admitted

that our sparse population and the abundance of other kinds of food,

have tended to make us careless and neglectful of the indigenous

chestnut.

It may be well, before dismissing this brief history of the

chestnut, to add that while nearly all the ancient authors, in

referring to it, employed its present scientific name of _Castanea_,

still, when botanists first attempted what has since been recognized

as the scientific classification of plants, many of them placed the

chestnut in the same genus as the beech, retaining the generic name

of _Fagus_ for both.

Linnaeus, in his _Systema Naturae_, 1766, Vol. II, p. 630, describes

two species of the chestnut and one of beech in the genus _Fagus_,

although Tournefort, in his "History of Plants Growing About Paris,"

published seventy years before that of Linnaeus, had recognized the

distinctive characteristics of these two groups of nut trees, and he

adopted the present name of _Castanea_ for the generic name of the

chestnut, and _Fagus_ for that of the beech. But nearly all of the

English and earlier American botanists adopted and followed Linnaeus

in his classification, ignoring the works of the earlier as well as

contemporaneous continental botanists. I merely refer to this matter

of botanical nomenclature because some of my readers may have

occasion to consult the earlier authors who describe American

plants, as, for instance, such works as John Clayton's "Flora of

Virginia," 1739, Thomas Walter's "Flora Caroliniana," 1787, or

Humphrey Marshall's "American Grove," 1785. In all of these, and

others, the chestnut is described as a species of beech (_Fagus_).

=Propagation of the Chestnut.=--The usual mode of propagating the

chestnut is from seed, when trees are wanted for general planting or

for stocks upon which to graft improved and rare varieties. Under

some conditions and circumstances, it is best to plant the nuts soon

after they are ripe in autumn, and this appears to be the most

natural method; in fact, it is the way in which forests have been

produced and are constantly renewed and perpetuated, when man does

not interfere to prevent it. But nature is in no hurry in such

matters, while man always is, because his time is limited;

consequently, in our attempts at the multiplication and cultivation

of plants we aim to save both time and material, therefore cannot

afford to adopt nature's slow and wasteful processes.

The principal objection to planting chestnuts in the fall is the

danger of having them destroyed by vermin, which abound almost

everywhere. There is also danger of the nuts sprouting prematurely

in the autumn, and of the young growth being killed by cold or by

excessive moisture during late fall rains. But these natural enemies

and obstacles prevent an excess in number and the overcrowding of

trees in our forests. It is, no doubt, possible and practicable to

smear the nuts with poisonous substances, or those sufficiently

offensive to prevent the depredations of vermin, but taking all

things into consideration, I am decidedly in favor of preserving the

nuts in bulk and in a dormant state until the season arrives for

insuring a rapid and continuous growth, and then planting them. To

do this in our cold northern climate, as well as in the South,

requires more care and attention with chestnuts than with the

harder-shelled kinds, like the walnut and hickory nut. As a rule, it

may be said that all the hardy kinds of nuts sprout at a rather low

temperature and a few degrees above the freezing point, and for this

reason it is well to select as cool a spot in the open ground as

possible for their winter quarters, and then examine them as early

as can be done conveniently in the spring.

In this matter of manipulating and preserving chestnuts for

planting, as well as what follows in regard to transplanting,

pruning and grafting, I shall give my own practice, with results;

and while it may differ from that of other propagators, it is one

evolved from long experience, many successes, and a few failures.

=Gathering and Assorting Nuts.=--When the nuts begin to ripen and

fall, gather as soon as possible, and if the trees are on your own

grounds and will admit of such an operation, thrash them and secure

the entire crop at once. The object of this early gathering is to

collect the false and weevil-infested specimens and destroy them.

But in whatever way the nuts are collected, they should be stored in

the shade and in shallow boxes, or spread out on a tight floor; but

the better way would be on screens over a floor, and then when the

grubs worked their way downward through the nuts and screen, they

would fall upon the floor, from which they could be taken up and

burned or otherwise destroyed. The nuts, while on the screen or

other receptacle, should be stirred over daily for two or three

weeks, and by that time they will be in good condition for either

planting or packing away for the winter. But before finally

disposing of the nuts in either way, they should be carefully looked

over, and every shrunken specimen, as well as all with punctured

shells from which the grubs have escaped, removed from among the

sound stock, because these damaged nuts are not only useless, but

are very likely to decay and affect all with which they come in

contact. It is not to be expected that by such means or handling we

can get rid of all the grubs enclosed in the nuts when gathered, for

there will always be a few not more than half grown at the time, and

these will remain hidden in the nuts until midwinter, or later, but

the greater part of the brood will reach maturity within two or

three weeks after the nuts are ripe. Of course, what is said here

about chestnut weevils is only applicable to chestnuts grown in this

country, but all species and varieties, when planted here, are

subject to the attacks of this pest--at least, everywhere in the

Eastern and Southern States.

Having assorted the nuts carefully, the sound ones should be

reserved for planting; these should be mixed with or stratified with

moist, sharp sand, and stored in boxes of convenient size for

handling and examination, whenever this is required. In preparing

the boxes, bore a number of small holes through the bottom, and over

each of these lay a piece of a broken flower-pot, brick or stone,

then cover the bottom one inch deep with the moist sand, and on this

place a single layer of nuts, then fill in all interstices with

sand, and also use enough more to fairly cover the layer; and

proceed in this way until all the nuts are disposed of or the box is

full, covering the top layer one or two inches deep, because the

sand will settle some after the work seems complete. The boxes may

be covered with fine wire netting or with narrow strips of boards,

fitting these so that mice cannot get in, but should not be

air-tight. They may then be buried in the open ground, selecting

some knoll or dry spot for this purpose, for the nuts should not be

placed where they will be submerged, or even be watersoaked, at any

time during the fall, winter or early spring. If no such spot is

conveniently near, then set the boxes on the top of the ground, and

on the north side of some building or in the shade of an evergreen

tree, and bank over with soil, covering the boxes a foot deep. If

the spot selected is under the eaves of a building, place boards

over the heap of soil, to carry off the water, for the object is to

keep the nuts moderately moist, cool, and where they will not be

subjected to frequent changes of temperature. In our Northern States

the nuts, under such conditions, usually become frozen during the

coldest weather, but this does not injure them if the sand is moist

and they remain frozen, as there will be no danger of germination;

while if kept too warm, they may start to grow before the seedbed is

ready, in spring, for their reception. I have tried keeping the nuts

mixed with sand in a cool cellar, also in outbuildings, but have not

found any other place so certain as pits in the open ground.

=Seedbed and Soil.=--It is well to have the seedbed prepared the

previous autumn, but it is not absolutely necessary. The soil for

the bed should be light, either sandy or loamy, and if not rich,

made so by adding very old and fine stable manure, or leaf mold from

the forest--I prefer the latter, as it is the most natural for all

kinds of seedling nut trees. Whatever fertilizing materials are

used, they should be placed on or near the surface, and never worked

in deeply, for our aim should be the production of side or lateral

fibers, and not coarse perpendicular roots. Furthermore, seedling

nut trees grown on light, sandy soils or in pure leaf mold, produce

a far greater number of small fibrous roots than on heavy soils, and

this is a decided advantage with those which are to be transplanted.

=Planting the Nuts.=--When the time arrives for planting, take the

nuts from their winter quarters, and after sifting out the sand, sow

or drop them in drills, covering about two inches deep with fine

soil. With the small native varieties my practice has been to sow in

wide drills; that is, those made with the blade of a common garden

hoe, and of the same width, the nuts being scattered along the

bottom two to three inches apart.

The soil is then drawn in over them and pressed down with the back

of the hoe, or by passing a light garden roller over the surface. If

the size of the seedbed is not limited, or only a small quantity of

nuts are to be sown, then the single row would be preferable,

because less hand weeding will be needed to subdue the weeds, and

for all the larger varieties I should certainly recommend it,

because they are of a more stocky growth. The distance allowed

between the drills will depend somewhat upon the implements to be

employed in cultivation, as well as how long the seedlings are to

remain in the seedbed before transplanting, but from two to three

feet will be found convenient for the ordinary modes of cultivation.

If the seedlings make a fair average growth the first season they

will be from one to three feet high in the autumn, and as soon as

the leaves have fallen they may be taken up, or allowed to remain

until the following spring and then lifted. But if, from any cause,

they have made a feeble growth, it is better to let them remain in

the seedbed another year. Where large quantities of seedlings are

raised they are usually taken up with a tree-digger drawn by a span

of horses or mules, but with only a few hundred or a thousand to

dig, a common spade will answer every purpose; and if, when removed

from the seedbed, they are found to have produced long perpendicular

taproots, these should be shortened to about one-half their original

length. For instance, if these taproots are taken up entire and are

eighteen to twenty inches long, cut away the lower half, whether it

consists of one or more long perpendicular roots, as this pruning

will force the plants to produce a greater number of lateral roots,

and it is upon these we depend mainly for keeping our trees alive

and vigorous if transplanted when larger and older. All side

branches should be pruned off close to the main stem, for we aim to

favor the latter in its growth upward until it reaches the required

hight for either grafting or forming the future head of the tree.

In taking up seedlings, it is not safe to leave them for any

considerable time exposed to the sun and drying winds, and they

should be carried either to a shed or other building while being

pruned, and also covered with blankets in the field, except during

moist, cloudy days. A very little drying of the small fibers on such

plants is always more or less injurious.

=Planting in Nursery Rows.=--After the seedlings have been taken

from the seedbed and pruned, they should be set out in nursery rows,

four feet apart, and the plants about eighteen inches in the row.

Trenches should be opened for the reception of the plants, and wide

enough to allow all the roots to be spread out in a natural

position; and it is well to set a little deeper than the seedlings

were in the seedbed, because newly plowed ground will settle some

after the planting is finished, although the soil should always be

packed firmly about the stems of newly set trees, whether large or

small. The more frequent and thorough the cultivation during the

ensuing summer, the more rapid will be the growth of the trees.

If the transplanted seedlings have produced any considerable number

of side branches,--and especially, low down,--these may be pruned

off at any time during the summer, for our object is usually to

secure straight, upright stems for grafting the following spring, if

they are large and tall enough; if not, we may delay this operation

for another year. Of course, small chestnut stocks may be grafted

close to the ground, but there is nothing really gained by this, for

a good strong stock will push a cion forward more in one season than

a weak stock in two or three seasons. But when the stocks have

reached a diameter of from three-eighths to one-half an inch three

or four feet from the ground, they may be grafted, but I would

prefer to have them a little over than under these sizes.

=Stocks From the Forests.=--It is not necessary for a man who may

need a few chestnut stocks for experimental or other purposes, to

wait until they can be grown from the nut, because these can always

be purchased at the nurseries; but if one does not wish to incur

even this small outlay, it may be avoided by obtaining a supply from

the forests, provided there are any in the neighborhood where

chestnut seedlings are to be found, and the owner will permit their

removal. The best wild stocks are usually to be found in recent

clearings, or where the larger trees have been cut off for timber,

and the underbrush, composed of seedlings and sprouts, is left to

grow up again into a forest. There are many thousands of acres in

New Jersey, New York, and other Eastern States, from which the

timber is cut every twenty or thirty years, and no further attention

paid to the land or what it produces. Wherever such clearings are

found containing chestnut trees, good stocks can usually be procured

by selecting those varying from one to two inches in diameter at the

ground, and if the soil in which they are growing is rather poor and

stony they will usually have pretty good roots, if carefully taken

up. They should be pruned to a single stem, and this cut off at a

hight of from five to six feet or less, then planted where they are

to remain permanently. Such stocks, if carefully taken up and

planted, will throw out numerous sprouts from their stems during the

summer, but all should be rubbed off while small and tender, except

three or four at the top, and the following spring, if wanted for

this purpose, they may be grafted in the same way as the young

stocks growing in the nursery, thereby saving three or four years of

time in securing bearing trees. Having often employed such wildings

for stocks with just as good results as with those raised from the

nuts in nursery rows, I am inclined to recommend them, where

obtainable, knowing that there are thousands of farmers and owners

of small places in the country who can do likewise, but may have

never thought it practicable to transplant nut trees from the

forest, although well aware of the fact that elms, maples, and

similar kinds were obtained there, and in immense numbers, for

planting in the streets of villages and alongside country highways.

=The Season for Grafting.=--The proper time for grafting the

chestnut is in early spring, just as the buds begin to swell, but

not until all danger of freezing weather is past, although light

frosts will not seriously injure newly set cions. The grafting may

be continued while the leaves are unfolding, provided the cions were

cut early and stored in a cool place, where they remain in a dormant

state until used. I usually cut the shoots wanted for this purpose

during the late fall or winter, and then pack them away in a cool

cellar between layers of damp moss (_sphagnum_) to be obtained in

almost any swamp. Cions may be taken from the tree on the same day

that they are used, but there is some risk in this, because we

cannot control the weather, and a week of warm rain in spring may

delay us in grafting, while it is pushing our stocks into leaf; and

then, our dormant cions are available, while those on the trees are

not, owing to their expanded and tender buds.

The shoots used for cions are those of the previous season's growth,

or as usually termed, one-year-old wood; and in selecting these,

endeavor to get such as are plump, well ripened and firm. If taken

from young and very thrifty chestnut trees, there is likely to be a

considerable portion of the upper end of the shoot that is rather

soft, spongy and immature, and this should be discarded, as it would

be a waste of time to use it. Of course, I am supposing that the

grafter is so fortunate as to be able to make his own selection of

the wood desired; if not, then he may be compelled to do the best he

can with that obtained elsewhere.

=Grafting Materials.=--The really essential materials and implements

required in grafting nut trees are few in number. Grafting wax must

be provided, and while there are many different compositions used

for this purpose, I much prefer, for ordinary work in the open air,

a wax made after the old formula, and as follows: Take one pound of

common rosin, one-half pound of beeswax, and one-quarter of a pound

of beef tallow; melt together and stir enough to insure the thorough

intermingling of the ingredients, and then set away to cool, or pour

into cold water and work up into cakes or rolls and wrap in paper

until wanted for use. Larger quantities may be made if required,

preserving the same proportions of the materials used. If to be used

immediately in grafting chestnuts and similar trees, then procure

some sheets of tough Manilla paper of only moderate thickness, and

cut this up into sheets about six inches wide and a foot long. While

the fresh-made wax is melted, take an old and rather stiff paint

brush, dip it into the hot wax and coat the papers thinly with it,

and then spread them out on shelves or elsewhere to cool, and let

them remain undisturbed until wanted for use. Any thin kind of cloth

may be used instead of paper, but I prefer the latter because it

will yield to the pressure of the enlarging stock and cion when

growth begins, and it will not be necessary to examine the grafted

stock so frequently during the summer to prevent girdling, as is

usually the case when a tougher material is employed for wrappers.

Before these waxed sheets are taken into the field for use, lay each

one separately on a piece of board with the waxed side up, and with

the point of a sharp knife cut them crossways into narrow strips of

from one-half to three-fourths of an inch wide. But for convenience

in handling, insert the point of the knife a half-inch from one

edge, but cut the other clean through, so that the whole sheet of

strips can be lifted together.

In early spring there is usually more or less windy weather, and if

waxed sheets of paper are taken out into the field unprotected they

are very likely to become tangled up and useless. To prevent this,

procure a number of large but very shallow paper boxes, such as can

usually be had at the stores and groceries of almost any village,

and in these place a single layer of the cut waxed sheets, where

they will be protected from wind and dust until removed for

immediate use.

Other kinds of grafting wax can, of course, be used, and are usually

procurable at the seed stores or made at home, and I have given

their composition and the formulas for their manufacture in my work,

"The Propagation of Plants;" but, as I have already said, this old

standard kind of wax is just as good as any other, although a little

more troublesome to use on account of its sticky consistency. Raffia

or bass may be employed as ligatures for holding the cions in place,

then covered with Leport's or other kinds of liquid grafting wax;

but when these are employed it will be necessary to examine the

grafted trees frequently, in order to cut the ligatures to prevent

girdling.

The best implement for grafting is a common broad-blade pocket

knife. One with a blade three to three and a half inches long and

three-fourths of an inch wide, is a handy size. It should be of the

best material for grafting chestnuts, because the wood of this tree

is coarse-grained, and so filled with siliceous matter that it soon

dulls the keenest blade, and the grafter will, of necessity, have to

use his whetstone frequently. In grinding the knife-blade have the

sides a true level, from the back to the edge, especially the

underside when to be held in the right hand with the edge towards

the body. The importance of having a blade of this form will soon

become apparent when the grafter attempts to make a true sloping cut

on either stock or cion, and it would be well for the novice to

practice for an hour or two in splicing some worthless twigs before

commencing upon more valuable material, for even an expert workman

is very likely to make some awkward dissections and joints when out

of practice. The professional propagator of plants may think such

details are unimportant, but I wish to impress upon the amateur that

in grafting nut trees we are dealing with kinds that will not

respond satisfactorily to such free manipulations as the apple and

pear; consequently, better and more careful handling is required to

insure success.

When ready to begin operations in the field, take out a quantity of

the shoots to be used for cions, and keep them wrapped in damp cloth

or packed in a box, basket or other receptacle with wet moss, to

prevent drying. If any considerable number of stocks are to be

grafted, then an assistant or two will be required, for the grafter

cannot be alternately handling the knife and cions and wax, and do

good work, but if he only inserts the cions and his assistant

applies the waxed ligatures, the operation will proceed more rapidly

and satisfactorily.

[Illustration: FIG. 13. SPLICE GRAFT.]

[Illustration: FIG. 14. SPLICE GRAFT INSERTED.]

=Modes of Grafting.=--The only two modes of grafting that I shall

recommend for the chestnut are the splice or whip graft, and the

cleft or wedge graft. In the splice graft, the cion and stock should

be of about the same diameter, but if there is any difference let it

be in favor of the stock, and this the largest. In this mode of

grafting, the stock is cut off with an upward slope, exposing two or

three inches of wood; and about midway on this slope a small cleft

or incision is made, forming what is called a "tongue." The cion is

then cut in the same way from the upper end downward, with a

corresponding incision, as seen in Fig. 13. Then the two are neatly

fitted together, the tongue on one entering the cleft on the other,

making a close joint, as shown in Fig. 14. The bark of the cion and

stock should be exactly even on one side at least; and if they are

of the same size, so much the better, for then they will be even on

both sides; but we cannot expect to secure such perfect joints on

every stock, or any considerable number, although we aim to do so as

frequently as possible. When the cion is fitted, the waxed paper is

applied by placing one end of the strip at or near the base of the

splice, then wind it spirally and firmly upward until the entire

wound is covered. If one of the waxed strips is not enough use

another, for it will do no harm if they are double on a part or all

over the joint. The cion should not be much over four inches long,

and a less length is preferable, but not so convenient for handling.

One good prominent bud on each cion is sufficient, and this left

near the upper end, but on short-jointed wood we may use cions with

two or more buds without greatly increasing their length. After the

cion is in place and every part of the splice is carefully sealed

with the waxed paper, place a small piece or a little wax on the

upper end of the cion, just enough to cover the exposed wound and

prevent evaporation of the natural moisture or sap in the wood. I

have found, in practice, that this sealing the end of the cion is

time well spent; in fact, to leave any of the wood cells exposed to

the air endangers the success of the operation.

Young shoots from a quarter of an inch in diameter up to

five-eighths may be used for cions, in splice grafting; and with a

little care in the selection of stocks, or by cutting them off a few

inches higher or lower, we may readily manage to have them nearly of

the same diameter to match our cions, whether they are large or

small, and such unions will soon heal over, leaving no scar at the

point where the two have been joined.

If the new growth or shoot to be employed as a cion is slender and

feeble, then the base of the cion may be of two-year-old wood,

leaving just a bud or two on the upper end of the one-year shoot.

But it will seldom be necessary to employ such cions in grafting the

chestnut, although it may occur when seeking to secure wood for

propagation, from very old trees which have made only a feeble

annual growth.

[Illustration: FIG. 15. STOCK.]

[Illustration: FIG. 16. CION.]

[Illustration: FIG. 17.]

[Illustration: FIG. 18.]

=Cleft Grafting.=--This method is employed principally upon stocks

or branches of trees too large for splicing. The stock is first cut

off at the point where it is desirable to insert the cion; then

split with a knife, being careful to divide it, so that the edges

will be kept smooth, and not rough and ragged (Fig. 15). When the

knife blade is withdrawn, the cleft may be kept open with a hard

wood wedge, if the stock is too large to admit of opening it with

the point of the knife when ready to insert the cion. The cion may

be three or four inches long, containing two or more buds; the lower

end is cut wedge-shape, as shown in Fig. 16, and slightly the

thickest on the side to be set against the bark of the stock. In

stocks of an inch or more in diameter, two cions, one on each side,

may be inserted (Fig. 17), and if both grow one should be cut away,

else the tree, in later years, will be very likely to divide or

break apart at this point. In stocks of an inch or less in diameter,

one cion is sufficient, the top of the stock to be cut off with an

upward slope, as shown in Fig. 18. After the cions are inserted, the

entire exposed surface of the wood must be covered with grafting wax

or waxed paper, and usually both may be employed with benefit. All

the various forms of grafting in the open air, as described in my

work on the "Propagation of Plants," may be employed on the

chestnut, but the two here given will probably answer just as well

as others for those who may have occasion to propagate this tree.

=Success in Grafting.=--The question has been asked many times, and

will, no doubt, be frequently repeated, "What percentage of cions

should one accustomed to grafting make grow?" As there are no

statistics upon which to base an answer to the question, I can only

give my own personal experience, and this leads me to say that

seventy-five per cent may be considered an excellent, if not a high

average. In some seasons this has been exceeded by at least ten per

cent, while in others it has fallen as much or more below, with no

apparent reason for the difference. Ninety-five per cent of the

cions may push their buds, or even make a growth of several inches,

then begin to die off; consequently, the time to count your

successfully grafted trees is in the autumn, and not in spring or

midsummer, as it is to be feared some are in the habit of doing when

making a report upon what they call success in grafting nut trees.

=Growth of Cions.=--Cions set in strong stocks usually make a very

rapid and vigorous growth, and if left unchecked, there is danger of

loss by being broken or blown off by strong winds during the summer

and autumn. To prevent this as much as possible, it has been my

practice to pinch off the ends of the young shoots when they are

about two feet long. Lateral shoots will then push out freely, and

in some seasons it may be necessary to check their growth in the

same way later. On feeble stocks, or those quite small, and with the

less vigorous growing varieties, no summer pinching or pruning will

be required. My experimental grounds are well protected upon the

north and west, not only by rising ground, but by Norway spruce and

American arbor vitae hedges twice as high as the grafted chestnut

trees in the nursery rows, and yet almost every season some of the

stronger-growing grafts are blown out or broken off by the wind.

After the first season there is little danger of injury, probably

because the union between cion and stock has become stronger.

=Grafting Chestnut Sprouts.=--In grafting the vigorous sprouts that

always spring up from the stumps of old trees that have been

recently cut down, we may reasonably expect a prodigious growth of

the cion the first season, as well as in succeeding ones, and if all

goes well with them we will secure large bearing trees in a very few

years, but such stocks are only available where old trees are

sacrificed for their timber or other purposes. Having a few such

sprouts on my place, they have been utilized from time to time in

testing some of the newer varieties. In one instance I allowed the

cion, set on a sprout about one inch in diameter, six feet from the

base, to grow unchecked throughout the season, as it was in a

protected position, and in the fall the entire length of the main

stem and lateral branches was sixty-five feet, and all from one bud

on a cion set early in the spring. The third year this tree bore

about a peck of very large nuts, to which I shall have occasion to

refer again under "Injurious Insects."

=Grafting Large Trees.=--Grafting large chestnut trees with stems of

six inches or more in diameter, and with large spreading heads, is

possible, but far from being economical or practicable, especially

if the trees stand out where they will get the full sweep of

prevailing winds. By cutting off and grafting a few of the branches

at a time for several seasons in succession, one may, in a few

years, succeed in getting the entire head grafted, but there is

constant danger of some of the cions being broken out if they make a

vigorous growth, leaving a distorted and ill-shapen tree. Having

experimented somewhat in this line with variable success, I am not

inclined to recommend it, because ten trees can be raised to a

bearing age on moderate-sized stocks with less labor, and the

results will be more satisfactory.

=Budding Chestnuts.=--I have frequently tried budding chestnut

stocks as described for the almond, and extensively employed with

other kinds of fruit trees. But the results of my experiments have

been unsatisfactory, although buds were set from very early in

summer until late in the fall, also on young and old wood; but so

few have taken and remained alive over winter that my personal

experience in this mode of propagation will not justify its

recommendation to others. Perhaps there is some secret connected

with the operation that I have not yet discovered, but which is

known to other propagators. Of course, budding with semi-dormant

wood and buds in spring, as soon as the bark will peel from the

wood, is practicable, but there is really nothing to be gained by

this mode of propagation over that of grafting.

=Transplanting and Pruning.=--There is no tree that will bear or

withstand more severe pruning than the chestnut. If trees of one or

five hundred years of age are cut down, the stumps are sure to throw

up an immense number of sprouts from adventitious buds, as these are

readily produced at almost any point on the sapwood or alburnum

under the bark; and yet, with this inherent vitality and faculty of

recuperation, the chestnut tree does not naturally, like many other

deciduous kinds, throw up suckers from the roots. Keeping this

peculiarity in mind, the cultivator has only to use his pruning

knife freely upon the trees to secure almost any form desired. But

after the trees have become well established, very little pruning

will be required, except to occasionally thin out or remove a

rambling branch, to secure a well-balanced and shapely head to the

tree.

In transplanting from the nursery rows, after grafting, and

especially if the trees are of some considerable size and large

enough to set where they are to remain permanently, there is sure to

be a loss of roots, and those that are preserved are likely to

remain for a short time inactive and incapable of absorbing

nutrients from the soil to which they are transferred, or until new

rootlets are produced. Under these conditions we aim to favor the

roots by removing or cutting back the greater part of the branches.

No matter how carefully such trees are lifted and their roots

protected during the operation of transplanting, it will check the

growth, and the best and most practical restorative is severe

pruning of the top, and every young shoot of the previous season's

growth should be cut back to within three or four inches of its

base. I am presuming that the trees have been grafted only one year,

but if older, and the cions were set high enough to begin the

formation of the head of the tree, then the entire young growth may

be cut away and some of the older wood, but of course not below the

graft. All broken roots must be cut off; and the ends of the larger

ones, roughly severed with the spade or other implements employed in

digging, should have their wounds smoothed with a sharp knife.

Frequent transplanting and root-pruning young nursery stock tends to

keep up a proper root system, and an abundance of small fibrous

roots near the main stem, and trees so treated are worth much more,

if to be transplanted later, than those left undisturbed; but while

the latter may be twice the size of the former when of the same age,

they are not worth half as much to the purchaser, or for

transplanting in our own grounds.

=Staking Transplanted Trees.=--This is always necessary for recently

planted trees, if they are of any considerable size, or from six

feet high and upwards. If not supported by stakes they are sure to

be swayed about, if not thrown over, by strong winds in summer. A

strong stake, two or three inches in diameter, would better be set

at the time of planting the tree, thereby avoiding breaking off or

crushing the roots, as frequently happens when stakes are driven

down among them later in the season. Set the stakes or drive into

the subsoil six inches from the stem, then use strips of cloth,

sacks, carpet, or some similar material, for tying, because hard

cord or twine will be very likely to cut through the tender bark

from the constant swaying about of the stems. Wind the strips around

the stem, and then cross between it and the stake once or twice, to

prevent the tree from pressing against or coming in contact with the

stake. Renew the stakes and tying materials, if necessary, until the

trees become firmly established, and provided with lateral roots

large enough to keep them in an upright position.

=Mulching.=--Placing a few forkfuls of coarse stable manure,

half-rotted straw, leaves, or any similar material, on the surface

about the stems of recently planted trees, will prove very

beneficial, in not only keeping down the weeds, but aiding greatly

in retaining moisture in the soil about the roots. The application

of some such material as a mulch is all the more important with the

chestnut, because these trees are always to be planted in a

naturally dry and well drained soil.

=Distance Between Trees.=--How far apart chestnut trees should be

planted will depend very much upon the species and varieties, some

growing to immense trees, while others are only fair-sized shrubs at

maturity. But for the larger-growing varieties, forty to fifty feet

between the trees is none too much space, when planted for their

nuts and not for timber. If set in a single row along the public

highways, farm lanes or around the outbuildings, to serve as shade

or ornament, and for their nuts, then about forty feet will answer

very well for the larger-growing species; and I will add that, in my

opinion, all the larger kinds of nut trees will give better returns

if placed in such positions, than when set in orchards or in compact

masses. When set in single rows or widely scattered, they are less

liable to be attacked by insects and diseases, while they will still

serve the double purpose of being both ornamental and useful. I must

admit, however, that in my experimental grounds the trees are

planted only twenty feet apart, but with the expectation of soon

cutting out every alternate specimen.

=Soil and Climate.=--The chestnut thrives best in light,

well-drained soils, and those containing a large proportion of sand

or decomposed quartz, slate, or volcanic scoria; but it is rarely

found, nor does it succeed, in heavy clays, limestone soils, or on

the rich western prairies, where we might think it would grow most

luxuriantly. That limestone soils are inimical to the chestnut has

often been disputed, but my own observations, which have been

somewhat extensive in years and range of country, rather confirm the

impression that this tree avoids land containing any considerable

percentage of lime. It is true that chestnut groves, and sometimes

extensive forests, are found on hills and ridges overlying

limestone, but a careful examination of the soil among the trees

will show that it is a drift deposit containing little or no lime.

Such groves can be found in all the southern tier of counties of New

York, also among the hills of northern and western parts of New

Jersey, and thence west and south along the Blue Ridge and Alleghany

mountains to the Carolinas, and westward in Tennessee and Kentucky.

The chestnut is sometimes found in New Jersey and other northern

Atlantic States growing in considerable abundance near streams only

a few feet above sea level, but when found in such situations the

subsoil is invariably sand, gravel or porous shale.

The range of climate in which the native sweet chestnut thrives is

quite extensive, as it is found sparingly in Maine in latitude 44 deg.,

extending westward,--but not very abundant on this line,--through

New England and New York, crossing the Niagara river, skirting the

north shore of Lake Erie in Canada, and thence into southern

Michigan, but does not reach Illinois. From this line southward it

increases in abundance in Virginia, western North Carolina and

eastern Tennessee and Kentucky. But in following this tree southward

we meet another indigenous species, widely known as the chinquapin

(_Castanea pumila_). This species is indigenous to southern New

Jersey, and sparingly in parts of Pennsylvania, becoming more

plentiful as we proceed southward, the two species named overlapping

and in part occupying the same region; but the chinquapin extends

further south, and also to the westward, near its northern limits

crossing the Mississippi into southern Missouri, then extends south

again, becoming quite abundant in Arkansas.

The European chestnut, in its many varieties, extends over about the

same number of degrees of latitude in Europe as our species do here,

although reaching a higher latitude in countries bordering on the

Atlantic, as shown in the old chestnut trees of England. The

Oriental chestnut has also a very wide range, but the limits are not

so well known as those of the European and American species; but a

study of its geographical distribution is of considerable

importance, now that we are importing these nuts for cultivation.

The same is also true of the European varieties, and the cultivator

who neglects to take this matter into consideration will fail to

secure whatever advantages may have accrued from acclimation, an

agency which, undoubtedly, has been active and continuous in

modifying and changing the primary characteristics of these plants

during unknown ages.

To more fully impress upon the reader the importance of care in the

selection of materials to be employed in any pursuit with which he

is not perfectly familiar, I am prompted to relate the story of my

first personal experience in chestnut culture, as it may serve as a

warning to others who may attempt to raise these nuts in a cold

climate.

At the time of purchasing the farm which has been my home for the

past thirty years, nut trees of various kinds were on my list of

things wanted, and the chestnut occupied a leading position,

probably because there were already many old and large native trees

on the place. My first planting consisted of a number of imported

seedlings, obtained from a well-known French nursery. The trees were

three or four years old, very stocky and vigorous, and they made a

good growth the first season; but the following winter the young

shoots were all frozen down to old wood, with the exception of one

tree, and thinking that this might prove hardy, cions were taken

from it and set in thrifty sprouts growing in a grove near by. The

cions made rapid growth, and from one of these I soon had a large

tree, which remained in good health for twenty years, but during all

that time it produced but one bur, containing two half-developed

nuts. Why it was unfruitful I do not pretend to know, but it was

certainly not for want of company, for it had large native chestnut

trees all about it, and these bearing heavy crops. The seedling

trees planted in the orchard also failed to be fruitful, and were

finally dug up and burned. Thus ended my first experiment in the

cultivation of the European chestnut. Had my location been farther

south and in a milder climate, the experiment might have ended

differently, but I am relating experience, and not attempting to

guess what might have been the results under more favorable

conditions. In the meantime, however, I had seen a few trees of the

Japan chestnut bearing on Long Island, and had received specimens of

the Numbo and Paragon, two now well-known and superior varieties of

the European species, although raised in this country. These

varieties were secured, and succeeded so well that I have continued

to add others from time to time, or as soon as trees or cions were

obtainable.

The success which appears to have attended the propagation and

dissemination of these two varieties of European parentage has

awakened considerable interest in chestnut culture, besides

attracting the attention of those interested in such matters to the

fact that there are many old trees of the same or similar origin

scattered about the country, awaiting the coming nut culturist to

propagate them and make known their merits.

It may be well, before leaving this subject, to remind the novice in

chestnut culture that seedlings of these hardy and productive

descendants of the European species will not come true from the nut

or seed, and while it will be admitted that the chances are somewhat

better for procuring a hardy variety from such nuts than from those

imported, still, there is no certainty of any considerable number

being equal in hardiness or other respects to the parent tree. There

is an inherent tendency, in tree seedlings of all kinds, to revert

to the wild form or type, and the chestnut is no exception to this

rule.

=Species of Chestnut.=--What is called a "species," among plants, is

a particular form or type supposed to have descended from one

original stock, whether this was composed of one or more

individuals. But variations doubtless occurred at the first

inception or multiplication of the original, but so long as the

offsprings do not differ so widely as to be untraceable to the

proemial types, they are held to be varieties of one species.

Whether all the chestnuts found in the various countries of the

world are descendants of one original tree or group of trees is now

beyond our ability to determine; consequently, what are now termed

species rests very much upon the opinions of botanists, as may

readily be demonstrated by consulting the works of hundreds of

authors who have essayed to describe and classify the plants of any

locality or country, and this, too, without reaching an absolute

finality acceptable to their contemporaries, or at all likely to

share a better fate with posterity.

For many years after botany began to be recognized as a science, the

common American sweet chestnut was considered a distinct species,

but in recent years it has been relegated to the position of a

widely distributed variety of the European chestnut, and it is so

described and classified in most of the botanical works of the

present time, and under such names as _Castanea vesca_, variety

_Americana_; _Castanea sativa_, variety _Americana_; _Castanea

vulgaris_, variety _Americana_, etc.

The Asiatic species or varieties--under whichever cognomen we may

find them described in botanical works--have fared little better

than our American kinds, for some botanists have described the Japan

chestnut as a distinct species, while others only as a widely

divergent variety of the common European chestnut.

I regret that there should be any need of giving so much space to

this matter of species and varieties, yet presuming that far the

larger number of my readers will not be professional botanists, nor

persons with a botanical library at hand to consult for unfamiliar

terms, I have thought this explanation in regard to classification

might assist them in making clear the apparent confusion of names

which, in the main, are only synonyms. Furthermore, I purpose

retaining some of the older specific names of the distinct groups of

varieties, whether it be strictly in accord with the ideas of

eminent authorities or otherwise, because it will be more convenient

to do so, and certain phases will thus be made clearer to the

practical cultivators of nut trees, for whom this work is written.

My wish is to assist those who do not know, but want to learn how to

obtain, plant and make nut trees grow and bear remunerative crops.

CASTANEA AMERICANA (_American sweet chestnut_).--Leaves

oblong-lanceolate, serrate, with rather coarse teeth, each

terminated with a feeble prickle or spine; smooth on both sides

(Fig. 19). Burs thickly covered with sharp, branching spines a half

inch long or less, from a fleshy green envelope, becoming hard and

somewhat woody; opening by four valves or divisions when mature.

Usually three nuts in each bur, the center one flattened by

compression, the two outer ones plano-convex. Shell tough and

leathery, dark brown, smooth, or more or less inverted, with a

silvery pubescence from the point downward; variable in size from

five-eighths to an inch in diameter. Kernel sweet and fine-grained.

A very large and common tree in the Middle and Northern States,

living to a great age.

[Illustration: FIG. 19. AMERICAN CHESTNUT LEAF.]

[Illustration: FIG. 20. SPIKE OF BURS OF BUSH CHINQUAPIN. _C.

nana._]

CASTANEA NANA (_bush chinquapin_).--Leaves oval-lanceolate, serrate,

with feeble prickles on teeth and often wanting; pale green above

and white tomentose underneath. Burs in racemes, small; husk thin,

opening by two divisions or lobes, instead of four, as in the last

species; spines short, somewhat scattering, sessile or very

short-stalked; nuts small, pointed, brown, smooth, thin-shelled,

solitary or only one in a bur. Kernel fine-grained, sweet and

delicious. Common from North Carolina southward to Florida, in dry

soils and barrens. A medium-sized shrub or low-spreading bush,

rarely reaching a hight of ten feet, the slender twigs usually

tomentose. A spike of burs and leaves of this species are seen in

Fig. 20.

[Illustration: FIG. 21. SPIKE OF CHINQUAPIN CHESTNUT BUR. _C.

pumila._]

[Illustration: FIG. 22. SINGLE BUR, NUT AND LEAF OF CHINQUAPIN

CHESTNUT. _C. pumila._]

CASTANEA PUMILA (_chinquapin chestnut_).--Leaves oblong-lanceolate,

short or acutely pointed, coarsely serrate, with incurved pointed

teeth, green above, tomentose underneath. Burs in racemes (Fig. 21),

two-valved. Sometimes the burs are single, as shown in Fig. 22.

Spines branching from a short stalk; nuts solitary, ovoid, pointed,

with dark-brown polished shell. Kernel fine-grained, sweet and

excellent. A medium-sized tree twenty to forty feet high; in rich

soils from New Jersey, Southern Pennsylvania and southward, to

Georgia, and sparingly westward to Arkansas.

[Illustration: FIG. 23. JAPAN CHESTNUT LEAF.]

CASTANEA SATIVA OR VESCA (_European chestnut_).--Leaves

oblong-lanceolate, pointed, coarsely serrate, with rather long

incurved spines on the teeth; smooth on both sides, but glossy and

dark green above; thicker and of more substance than in any other

species. Burs very large, with thick husk, and long, stout,

branching spines, from a woody stem at the base; shell of nut thick,

tough and leathery, of a dark mahogany brown; kernel enclosed in a

rather tough but thin skin that is usually intensely bitter, a

characteristic that readily distinguishes this from any of our

species. Trees of large size, rather stocky; young shoots coarse,

with smooth bark; buds prominent, glossy, and of a light

yellowish-brown color.

CASTANEA JAPONICA (_Japan chestnut_).--Leaves lanceolate-oblong

(Fig. 23), finely serrate, indentations shallow, and the teeth

slender pointed; pale green above and silvery or rusty white

underneath. Burs with a very thin husk; spines short, widely

branching from a short stem. Nuts large to very large, usually three

in a bur; shell thin, and of a light brown color; the inner skin

thin, fibrous, but not as bitter as in the European varieties, and

the kernel somewhat finer grained and sweeter. Trees of moderate

growth and are said to rarely exceed fifty feet high in Japan. The

growth is slender in comparison with the European or American

chestnut, and the habit is decidedly bushy, the new growth of the

season usually producing a number of lateral twigs late in summer.

The leaves here seem to be more persistent, probably because the

season is not long enough to insure thorough ripening.

The reader will please bear in mind that this description of the

Japan chestnut is drawn from the introduced varieties or those

raised from the imported nuts, and not from the trees growing in

their native habitats. All the varieties that I have seen appear to

belong to one type or species, and they come from the warmer parts

of that country; but Prof. Sargent, in his "Forest Flora of Japan,"

says that while the largest nuts appear in the markets of Kobe and

Osaka, from whence they come to this country, there are varieties

offered for sale in the markets of Aomori, which is much further

north, and these, he thinks, would produce a more hardy race of

varieties than those we have already received from that country. As

a race, all the Japan chestnuts are very precocious, the trees

coming into bearing early whether raised from the nut or propagated

by grafting.

=Native Varieties.= (Group One).--While it is well known that our

American sweet chestnut varies widely in the size, flavor, form,

color and general appearance of the nuts, no special effort has been

made to select and perpetuate the most distinct and valuable

varieties. This is to be regretted, inasmuch as the opportunities

for making such selections, and preserving and propagating those

most worthy of it, are rapidly passing away with the destruction of

our chestnut forests; but there is still time to do something in

this direction, and perhaps save a few varieties as valuable as

those already destroyed. It is to be hoped that every man who knows

of a large variety, will either propagate it himself, or point it

out to some one who is sufficiently interested to do so. If proper

attention was given to the raising of seedlings, we might soon

secure many improved native varieties, and I would urge this mode of

propagation upon all whose circumstances and surroundings will admit

of it, and especially upon the young men who possess the talent and

inclination to make such experiments; for there is a wide and

fertile field open to them, and they can scarcely fail to reap a

rich reward for their labors, if applied with earnestness and a

moderate amount of intelligence.

BURLESS CHESTNUT.--This is a peculiar variety or freak, in which the

burs are merely shallow cups upon which the nuts rest, and at no

stage of their growth are they enclosed in a husk or bur. The nuts

are small and usually perfect, but being unprotected they are preyed

upon by birds and squirrels as soon as the kernels are well formed,

few escaping to reach maturity. This chestnut is of no economic

value, but is worth preserving as an illustration of extremes in

variation. The original tree was found in the forest near Freehold,

Green Co., N. Y., by Mr. Harry Bagley, to whom I am indebted for

cions sent me in the spring of 1885. Another and very similar

variety was found about the same time on Staten Island, N. Y., and

this also has been propagated, to a limited extent, as a curiosity.

HATHAWAY.--A very large and handsome native variety, and one of the

very best. A strong and vigorous grower, and productive. Raised by

Mr. B. Hathaway, the veteran and widely known pomologist of Little

Prairie Ronde, Mich. Some thirty years ago Mr. Hathaway purchased a

half bushel of native chestnuts of a dealer in Ohio, and from these

raised a large number of trees for sale; but a few were reserved for

planting out on his own grounds, and when these came into bearing

the one named here was selected for propagation, because of its

large size and productiveness.

PHILLIPS.--A large and handsome variety of excellent flavor, with a

very smooth, dark-brown shell. Grafted trees exceedingly vigorous,

upright growth, as well as precocious and productive. The original

tree is growing in the grounds of the late Whitman Phillips, at

Ridgewood, N. J. Several years ago my attention was called to a

number of large varieties of the chestnut growing in and near the

village, and from these I obtained cions for propagation; but I name

only one at this time, reserving the others until more fully tested.

This is rather an insignificant number of varieties to be named

among the many hundreds that are to be found in almost every town or

neighborhood where the chestnut is a native, and yet I have been

able to find only one named in nurserymen's catalogues as being

propagated by grafting. It is true that nearly all dealers in trees

offer seedling American chestnuts, which may mean good, bad or

indifferent varieties when the trees come into bearing. Among all of

the many thousands that have been raised and planted in the East and

West, beyond the natural range of the chestnut, as, for instance, in

Missouri, Kansas and Iowa, there must be some distinct and valuable

varieties worthy of names and propagation. There are not only

distinct varieties to be found in every forest, but in some

instances the entire product of an extended area of country are

distinct in their color, size, and general appearance of the nuts

produced; as, for instance, in the woolly chestnuts of the Piedmont

district of Virginia, these being so nearly covered with a white

down that they remind one of popcorn. Hundreds of bushels of these

woolly chestnuts come to our markets, and among them I have often

found very large specimens, but so far as known, no effort has been

made to perpetuate them.

So far as can now be determined, the wild or original European

chestnut was much inferior in its flavor, and little, if any, larger

than our American sweet chestnut; but by continued selections of the

largest for planting, and propagation by grafting, it has attained

to its present size and excellence; but this system of improving our

native varieties has scarcely, as yet, been attempted, a fact which

does not, in the least, redound to our credit.

BUSH CHINQUAPIN (_C. nana._ Muhlenberg).--Of this I do not know of

any named varieties in cultivation. Plants are occasionally seen in

cultivated grounds, and I have one in my garden growing in a

sheltered position, where it has fruited for several years. It is a

pretty, round-headed, silvery-leaved bush, about six feet high;

ornamental, if not specially valuable for other purposes, although

the little sweet nuts are always acceptable. As a rule, the

seedlings of this species are not hardy in the Northern States, but

an occasional one will survive if planted in a light, porous soil

and a protected situation.

COMMON CHINQUAPIN (_C. pumila._ Miller).--This is a small tree,

sometimes thirty to forty feet high; found sparingly as far north as

central New Jersey, and on Long Island. It is more common in

cultivation than the bush chinquapin, probably because more hardy

and better known, but I do not know of any improved varieties that

have been disseminated under distinct names except the one

hereinafter described.

Among many seedlings raised, of this species, I have selected one

which good judges of such things have thought worthy of propagation,

and as I do not raise plants for sale, no one will be likely to

accuse me of having any selfish motives, further than a pardonable

pride in producing something worthy of perpetuation. Furthermore, as

an earnest of my confidence in its merits, I have distributed it

under my own name.

[Illustration: FIG. 24. BURS OF FULLER'S CHINQUAPIN. ONE-HALF

NATURAL SIZE.]

[Illustration: FIG. 25. FULLER'S CHINQUAPIN. FIVE YEARS OLD FROM

NUT.]

FULLER'S CHINQUAPIN.--Leaves large, broadly oval, pointed, coarsely

serrate, pale green above, clear silvery white below. Bark on main

stem; branches and twigs smooth, light gray, with numerous white

dots. The young twigs thick and stocky, cylindrical, with moderately

prominent, grayish buds. Burs in long racemes (Fig. 24), very large

for this species; spines long, strong, branching and sharp. Nuts

only one in each bur, rather short, broad, top-shaped, with blunt

point; shell very smooth, glossy, almost black; kernel fine-grained

and sweet. Ripens early, or with the earliest of the native sweet

chestnuts. The original tree is only six years old, twice

transplanted, and is now ten feet high, with a head fully as broad,

and as shown in Fig. 25. Although growing in a rather exposed

position, it has never been injured by low temperature in winter or

a high one in summer. It has thus far been the most rapid-growing

chestnut tree in my grounds, although given no special care. Whether

it will eventually become a large tree, or soon cease to extend, is,

of course, a question to be answered at some future time, but from

present indications this tree will be well worthy of cultivation as

an ornamental shade tree, even if we leave out of the account its

rapid growth, productiveness, and delicious little nuts, which will

be very acceptable for home use, if not possessing any great

commercial value.

=European Varieties.=--In the use of this term I wish it understood

that the varieties named and described in this group are all of

American origin; that is, raised in this country from seed. At the

same time they are descendants of the European species. They are, in

other words, "Survivals of the fittests," the few that have survived

the many being raised from imported nuts (perhaps one out of a

thousand) that tests and time have shown were adapted to our

climate. There may be many other varieties scattered about the

country which are worthy of a name and of propagation, but I can

speak only of those I have been able to procure, or that have been

brought to my notice.

In describing the following varieties, and in seeking to get at the

facts relating to their origin, name and history, the reader will

please bear in mind that there has been no previous attempt to

arrange or classify these semi-American varieties. Furthermore,

there is much confusion in regard to the true names of a number of

them, and the most I can say is that I have endeavored, under the

circumstances, to get as near the truth as possible. Could I defer

writing this chapter ten years, some moot points might be cleared

up, but as this is out of the question I must follow the light

already in my possession.

To Mr. John R. Parry, of Parry, N. J., I am greatly indebted, not

only for specimens of new and rare varieties, but also notes

relating to the history of several of the older ones.

COMFORT.--Burs very large, broad, somewhat flattened; spines very

strong and long, branching; nuts very broad, with short point, and

shell covered from base to point with scattering silky hairs,

thicker at upper end. In quality, about the same as in the ordinary

varieties of the species, but to some persons' taste it is better,

having less astringency in the skin surrounding the kernel. Origin

uncertain, but said to have been grown for many years at Germantown,

a suburb of Philadelphia, Pa., where the Paragon chestnut was

discovered. The Comfort certainly closely resembles the Paragon, but

I have not had an opportunity of fruiting trees under the two names

side by side, as would be necessary to determine their identity or

difference, if they are really distinct.

COOPER.--A very large variety; has been in cultivation for several

years in Camden Co., N. J., but up to the present time the trees

have not been propagated for sale, although I am informed by Mr.

John R. Parry that there are a large number under cultivation. The

tree is described as of a broad spreading habit, with enormously

large leaves, and immensely productive. Nuts very large, smooth and

glossy, with little fuzz near the top. In quality they may be

considered excellent for a variety of this class. The burs are very

large, and this is its greatest or only fault; for when nearly

mature they absorb and retain such a quantity of water during heavy

rains, in addition to the original weight and the enclosed nuts,

that the trees are liable to be broken down by strong winds.

CORSON.--Burs of immense size; spines an inch or more in length,

from a stout, woody, irregularly branching stem, resting on the

moderately thin husk. Nuts extra large, usually three in a bur;

shell dark brown, somewhat ridged; the upper end or point of the

shell densely covered with a white, almost woolly, pubescence, or

fuzz as it is usually termed. This is a remarkably large and fine

variety and of good quality. Originated with Mr. Walter H. Corson,

Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery Co., Pa.

DAGER.--A large variety originated near Wyoming, Delaware, from seed

of the Ridgely. My specimen trees are good vigorous growers, and

hardy, but have not, as yet, produced fruit. It is said that the

nuts are of fair quality, but not as good as the best of its class.

MONCUR.--Another seedling of the Ridgely, raised on the farm of Mr.

Frank Moncur, near Dover, Del. The original tree is about thirty

years old. Described as smaller than its parent, but of better

quality.

[Illustration: FIG. 26. BUR OF NUMBO CHESTNUT.]

[Illustration: FIG. 27. SPINES OF NUMBO CHESTNUT.]

[Illustration: FIG. 28. NUMBO CHESTNUT.]

NUMBO.--Burs medium, and distinctly long pointed before opening, as

shown in Fig. 26, the four divisions of the burs extending an inch

or more beyond the nut as they open. This is an exceptional form of

the bur, and will enable almost any person to recognize the variety

with bearing trees. Spines only medium in length (Fig. 27), and not

as strong as in most other varieties of this species. Nuts very

large (Fig. 28), smooth, decidedly pointed, light brown when first

mature, and of good flavor. Tree hardy and a vigorous, free grower,

and is very productive even when young. The original tree is now

some forty years old, and is one of a large number raised from

imported nuts, by the late Mahlon Moon, of Morrisville, Pa.

MILLER'S DUPONT.--Burs large, spines long and strong but not as

stout as in some of the closely related varieties. Nut medium, and

kernel of fair quality. A promising variety. Origin unknown.

Received from Jos. Evans, Delaware Co., Pa.

[Illustration: FIG. 29. PARAGON CHESTNUT BUR. (_One-half natural

size._)]

[Illustration: FIG. 30. SPINES OF PARAGON CHESTNUT BUR.]

[Illustration: FIG. 31. PARAGON CHESTNUT.]

[Illustration: FIG. 32. FOUR YEAR OLD PARAGON CHESTNUT TREE.]

PARAGON.--Burs of immense size, often five inches and more in

lateral diameter; distinctly flattened on the top, or cushion shape

(Fig. 29); spines an inch in length, widely and irregularly

branching from a stout stem springing from a thick, fleshy husk, as

shown in Fig. 30, the whole making an involucre or bur out of

proportion to the nuts within. Nuts of large size, slightly

depressed at the top (Fig. 31), and they are usually broader than

long; shell very dark brown, slightly ridged, and covered with a

fine but not very conspicuous pubescence. Kernel sweet,

fine-grained, and of superior flavor for one of this species. Tree

hardy, exceedingly precocious and productive when grafted on strong,

healthy stock. A four-year-old tree on my grounds is shown in Fig.

32. It was loaded with nuts in the fall of 1894. This is one of the

best of its class. Origin somewhat in doubt, but it is claimed that

the late W. L. Shaffer, of Philadelphia, raised it from a foreign

nut planted in his garden, and who, some eighteen years or more ago,

gave cions to W. H. Engle, of Marietta, Pa. Mr. Engle has since

propagated and disseminated this variety quite extensively under its

present name, but should further investigation prove it to be

distinct and that it was raised by Mr. Shaffer, then it should

certainly bear his name, and Paragon become a synonym. No more

appropriate monument could possibly be erected in honor of a

distinguished horticulturist like the late Mr. Shaffer, than a

chestnut tree, nor could his memory be perpetuated under more

pleasant and agreeable surroundings than to have his name linked

inseparably with such an excellent and valuable variety.

[Illustration: FIG. 33. OPEN BUR OF THE RIDGELY CHESTNUT.]

RIDGELY.--Burs large, with dense spines, but not as long as those of

the Paragon. Nuts large, pointed; shell dark brown, with very little

pubescence, and this mainly at the point (Fig. 33). In quality this

variety ranks very near, if not the equal of, the best of its class,

and it has been highly commended, by those who have been acquainted

with it, for many years.

The origin of the Ridgely, as recorded, leaves the question of name

a debatable one. Some sixty years ago a Mr. Dupont, of Wilmington,

Del., gave or sent to Mr. D. M. Ridgely, of Dover, Del., a sprouted

chestnut, and this was planted and became the original tree of the

variety under consideration. It has been called Dupont, because he

raised the nut and kept it over winter and until it sprouted; then

it passed into the care of Mr. Ridgely, who thenceforward gave it

his attention. The tree is now of immense size, and some seasons has

produced more than five bushels of nuts, selling at eleven dollars

per bushel. It is quite probable that the Dupont family were the

first to raise European chestnut trees to a bearing size in this

country, for some of its members were settled in Delaware before the

war of the Revolution. Pierre Samuel Dupont de Nemours, during the

French ministry of Vergennes, was employed in forming the treaty of

1783, in which the independence of the United States was formally

recognized by England. In 1795 (Am. encyclopedia) he came to this

country and joined his sons, who had become successful manufacturers

of gunpowder at or near Wilmington, Del., where their descendants,

or at least some of them, are still engaged in the same business. If

any of the old and original chestnut trees have escaped the numerous

"powder mill explosions" which have frequently occurred in that

neighborhood, they are probably much older than the Ridgely. I am

also inclined to believe that a very large majority of all the hardy

chestnut trees of the European species scattered about the country

are the direct descendants of the old Dupont stock.

SCOTT.--Burs large, with long branching spines. Nuts from the

original tree, as received the past season, are only of medium size,

but said to be much larger on younger trees. Shell dark brown,

smooth, with a little fuzz around the point. As my specimen tree has

not, as yet, fruited, I am unable to say anything of its

productiveness from personal experience, but in a note from Mr.

William Parry, under date of Oct. 15, 1894, he says: "I send

specimens of the Scott chestnuts, grown by Judge Scott, of

Burlington, N. J. The crop is about gone and it was with difficulty

I could get these, which are about the average size; earlier in the

season many are larger. Judge Scott has grown those nuts for market

several years. The original tree was bought by his father many years

ago from the nursery of Thomas Hancock. He bought three trees for

Spanish chestnuts, planted them in a row about thirty feet apart,

and the one from which these nuts were obtained happened to be in

the middle. It is now a large tree, the trunk about five feet in

diameter. It is a regular and heavy bearer. Judge Scott has

propagated and planted an orchard from this variety, and claims

among its important features, large size and early

bearing,--two-year grafts generally produce nuts; immense

productiveness and good quality; beautiful, glossy, mahogany color;

freedom from fuzz, and an almost entire exemption from the attacks

of the chestnut weevil. While the crop of two trees standing on

either side of the Scott is badly damaged by worms, it is the

exception to find a wormy nut among the Scott.

"The crop sells readily at ten to twelve dollars per bushel.

This year (1894) some sold as low as eight dollars, the lowest

ever known for this variety."

STYER.--Burs large, round; spines long, branching, but not as coarse

as those of Comfort. Nuts medium to large, decidedly pointed, and

the point fuzzy. Shell dark brown, with a few longitudinal stripes,

but not ridged. A handsome nut of good quality. This variety has

been distributed under the name of Hannum. The original tree, which

is a mammoth in size, is still standing on the farm of a Mr. Hannum,

near Concordville, Delaware Co., Penn. But Mr. T. Walter Styer, of

the same place, is propagating and introducing it as the Styer.

Some of the varieties in this group may not prove to be distinct,

and later they will be relegated to their proper place as synonyms,

but I have thought it best to record them by the names under which

they have been received. In writing these descriptions I have had

the nuts and leaves before me, but there may be characters

overlooked which will become more conspicuous as the grafted trees

become older and more mature. The Dager chestnut, from Delaware, is

a promising variety, disseminated through the Department of

Agriculture, but as I have not seen the nuts at this writing, a

description is necessarily omitted.

Among the French varieties of this species which are said to succeed

admirably in California, a large proportion would probably do

equally well in Delaware and further south. Among those worthy of

trial I may name the _Avant Chataigne_, _Comale_, _Exalade_, _Green

of Lemousin_, _Grosse Precoce_, _Jaune Rousse_, _Lyons_, _Merle_,

_Nouzillard_, _Quercy_, etc. I have tried some of these, but with

such indifferent results that they were abandoned. Cultivators of

nut trees located in a milder climate, should take advantage of

whatever improvements there have been made in Europe, by importing

grafted trees or cions. There are a few ornamental varieties of the

European chestnut, but none worthy of any special attention.

[Illustration: FIG. 34. JAPAN GIANT CHESTNUT.]

[Illustration: FIG. 35. SPINES OF JAPAN CHESTNUT.]

JAPAN CHESTNUTS.--The first authentic account I have been able to

find of the introduction of the Japan chestnut into this country, is

of a number of trees received by S. B. Parsons & Co., Flushing, N.

Y., 1876, from the late Thos. Hogg, who, as is well known to all

horticulturists, spent several years in Japan collecting many rare

kinds of trees and shrubs, which were shipped direct to Parsons &

Co. The chestnut trees received in 1876 fruited two years later, or

in 1878, and soon attracted attention, on account of the large size

and excellent quality of the nuts and the precocious habits of the

trees.

The success of this typical variety of the Japanese species, as I

have assumed to designate it, proved that there were oriental

chestnuts--heretofore untested in this country--that were certainly

worthy of an attempt to obtain. This variety, introduced by the

Messrs. Parsons & Co., does not appear to have been disseminated

under any distinct varietal name, but merely bears the rather

meaningless one of Japan chestnut, and for the purpose of giving it

a position where it may be recognized--by name at least--from other

varieties more recently introduced, I shall take the liberty of

calling it "Parsons' Japan."

Soon after it became known that the oriental chestnuts would succeed

in this country, the fruit growers and nurserymen of California

began to import and plant these nuts, shipping an occasional lot to

their customers in the Eastern States, and from these hundreds of

seedlings have been raised and distributed, under the general name

of Japan chestnut. Among the nuts imported there are some of

extraordinary size, even larger than anything of the kind obtained

from Europe, as shown in Fig. 34, natural size, and from a specimen

received direct from Japan. Some of the nurserymen who have secured

these very large nuts for planting, offer the seedlings raised

therefrom under such names as Mammoth and Giant Japan, but as there

is no certainty, and scarcely a probability, that such seedlings

will produce nuts as large as those planted, the names are rather

misleading, although proper enough if given to grafted varieties of

large size. When an extra-fine variety is produced from the nut, it

should, of course, be preserved and propagated in the usual way.

The late Wm. Parry, of Parry, N. J., was one of the first nurserymen

to attempt to produce new varieties of the Japan chestnut in this

country, and his sons have continued his experiments in this

direction. Others may have been equally successful, but I have been

unable to obtain any satisfactory reports from those to whom I have

applied for information; consequently, I can only say that the

following, with few exceptions, originated at the Wm. Parry

nurseries.

ADVANCE (Parry).--Burs medium, slightly flattened on top; spines

medium, short, almost sessile, as shown in Fig. 35, and this is a

characteristic of all the Japan chestnuts; branching and widely

separated on a very thin husk. Nuts very large; shell a light

yellowish brown, with a few slight darker streaks from base to apex.

Quality excellent for one of this species. Ripens early, and long

before touched by frost.

ALPHA (Parry).--Very similar to the last, but ripens earlier, which

would be an advantage in some localities. Tree vigorous and

productive.

BETA (Parry).--Bur medium; spines rather long and thin for one of

this group, set on a thin husk. Nut large; shell light brown,

smooth, with a slight trace of pubescence near the tip. The leaves

are shallow and coarsely serrate, and on some the teeth or

serratures are entirely wanting. Ripens a little later than the

Alpha, or about the first of October in northern New Jersey.

EARLY RELIANCE (Parry).--Burs medium, with short, almost deflexed

spines, on an exceedingly thin husk. Nuts large, more pointed than

in the last, and of a lighter color the past season, but this may

not be constant, and may be due to the long and severe drouth of the

summer of 1894. Usually three nuts in a bur, and sometimes four or

five, but I do not consider this increase in number a merit in any

variety, for where there are more than three they are likely to be

of small size and very much deformed. The original tree of the

Reliance is enormously productive, and a regular bearer.

FELTON.--A seedling of the common Japanese chestnut, raised by J. W.

Killen, of Felton, Delaware.

GIANT JAPAN (Parry).--Burs large to extra large for a variety of

this species, with medium low branching spines on a very thin,

parchment-like husk. Nuts extra large, usually only two in a bur,

often only one, and about two inches broad, much depressed at the

top, with a short point set in an irregular depression or basin.

Shell dark mahogany color, more or less ribbed; kernel coarse

grained, as is usual in the extra large varieties of nearly all

species of the chestnut. This is probably the largest variety of the

Japanese chestnut raised in this country, of which grafted trees are

obtainable at this time. There may be others equally as large, but

if so they are unknown to the writer.

KILLEN.--Of the Japan species, and described as very large, the nuts

over two inches in diameter and of fair quality. Raised by J. W.

Killen, of Felton, Del.

PARSONS' JAPAN.--Burs medium, with rather thick-set and long spines.

Nuts large, one inch and a half broad, curving regularly to a point;

shell smooth, almost glossy, brown, with faint stripes of a darker

shade extending from base to apex. In quality the kernel is far

better than most of the European varieties, being finer grained and

sweeter. When grafted on strong stocks the trees come into bearing

early, or in two or three years. This is the best known, and

probably the most widely distributed variety, of the Japanese

species in this country, having been introduced, as I have stated

elsewhere, in 1876.

PARRY'S SUPERB (Parry).--Burs broad, cushion-shaped, or much

flattened on top, with extra long, widely branching spines from

single or multiple stems, very much as in the European varieties.

But the thin husk, the nuts, and the growth of tree, wood and

leaves, stamp it as a pure Japanese variety. Nuts large, broader

than long, with a decided sharp woody point; almost entirely

destitute of even a sign of pubescence. A very promising and

distinct variety.

SUCCESS (Parry).--Burs very large, broad, with only a few short,

scattering, branching spines on the top, thicker toward the base; on

a thin, parchment-like husk, and this is so thin that it sometimes

cracks open and exposes the nuts within before they are fully ripe.

Nuts extra large, nearly equal to the Giant, but of a more regular

and symmetrical form, being nearly as long as broad, tapering to a

point. Shell smooth, dark brown, with a slight pubescence about the

point. Usually three nuts in a bur; an ideal variety in every

respect.

There is a variety of the Japan chestnut recently much lauded under

the name of Mammoth or Burbank, which is said to be of immense size,

and as sweet as the common American chestnut.

=Injurious Insects.=--The chestnut tree is rarely attacked by

insects. It is true that grubs may occasionally be found boring into

the wood or cutting sinuous burrows under the bark, but this is

mainly in trees weakened by exposure, in removing protecting

companions, as when removing forests, or by plowing up and

destroying the roots, in cultivating the land about them; but the

attacks of insects upon such specimens is nature's way of getting

rid of the feeble and least valuable, making room for the healthy

and strong. But my thirty years' residence in a chestnut grove leads

me to think that this nut tree is exceedingly free from wood borers

of any kind.

Entomologists, however, have noted several instances of insect

depredations upon individual trees, by a few species of the

long-horn beetles, three or four in all, but these occur so rarely

that they are scarcely worthy of notice as pests of the chestnut.

There are also several species of caterpillars occasionally found

feeding on the leaves of this tree, also some sucking bugs or tree

hoppers, and two or three kinds of plant lice, but none of these

have, as yet, become at all formidable enemies, or likely to become

so later. But the chestnut has one enemy which is so abundant and

destructive to the nuts as to call for an extended notice. I refer

to the common native chestnut weevil (_Balaninus carytripes_,

Boheman). The little fat, white, round, legless grubs, nearly or

quite a half-inch long, must be familiar to every person who has

handled or eaten chestnuts raised in this country, whether of the

exotic or native varieties. The parents of this grub are oval-shaped

beetles about one-half inch long or less; wing covers, body and legs

densely covered with a short yellow down, and from the front or

thorax there extends a long, slightly curved, slender snout (Fig.

36), sometimes nearly an inch in length in the females, but usually

less in the males. The mouth parts are at the extreme end of this

snout or proboscis, and the female, with her mandibles, it is

claimed, reaches down among the chestnut spines and gnaws a hole in

the husk, into which she drops an egg; and when this hatches, the

minute grub cuts its way through the green husk and into the nut,

the hole made in its progress closing up behind, leaving no mark or

scar. Although I have taken hundreds of these weevils on chestnut

trees, I never have been so fortunate as to take one in the act of

ovipositing, but have come so near it as to find the ovipositor

still extended as the insect crawled out from among the spines.

[Illustration: FIG. 36. CHESTNUT WEEVIL.]

The chestnut weevil usually appears in great numbers soon after the

trees bloom in spring, but they continue to come out all through the

summer; I have occasionally found them late in September, which

probably accounts for finding small and half-grown grubs in the nuts

as they ripen and fall from the trees. These late grubs often remain

in the nuts all winter, but the greater part escape earlier, or very

soon after the crop is ripe. The grubs crawl out of the nuts and

work their way into the ground to a depth of from a few inches to

two feet, much depending upon the nature of the soil. Having very

powerful jaws, they readily cut through a layer of leaves or soft

wood, and I have known them to cut holes in sheets of dry cork.

These grubs remain in the ground until the following season, then

come forth in their winged or weevil stage, except the belated,

broods, or those that have not reached full size in the autumn;

these remain in the ground the entire summer, coming out late in the

fall, or pass over until the second year, as I have proved by

burying the grubs in a barrel sunk in the ground, covering the top

with fine wire netting, to prevent the escape of the weevils as they

emerged from time to time during the season.

As a rule, we find only one grub in a nut, of the American sweet

chestnut, but in the larger varieties of the European and Japanese,

two or more is not unusual, which rather favors the idea that the

female weevil does possess something akin to reason, which guides

her in locating stores of food available for her progeny. I have

never observed that the weevils had any choice among varieties, all

being subject to their attacks alike, provided all were growing in

equally favorable positions. But if the trees are of different

sizes, some tall and others short, some exposed to the winds and

others protected, then the ravages of this pest will, no doubt, be

as variable as the surrounding conditions. As the weevils emerge

from the ground in spring or early summer, they will naturally seek

the nuts most convenient and on the small trees, then those on the

lower branches of the larger ones, while those on the upper part of

the tree, where they are fully exposed to the winds, may wholly

escape the attacks of these pests. This leads me to think that

whoever attempts to cut off native chestnut forests, with the

expectation of renewal with the larger varieties, by grafting the

sprouts, will find the chestnut weevil a rather formidable enemy. I

have found it so on a limited number of trees in my own grounds,

that are grown from grafted sprouts near large native specimens, the

weevils destroying nearly every nut; but out in the field, away from

the woods, and where the young trees are scattered and exposed to

the full sweep of the winds, the nuts are sound and free from insect

enemies. The only remedy is to collect and destroy the weevils,

which is not a serious matter where only the larger varieties are

cultivated.

=Diseases of the Chestnut.=--I have never noticed any special

disease among chestnuts, neither do I find any mentioned in European

works on forestry. The nearest approach to any such malady being

recorded as having appeared in this country, is found in a paragraph

in Hough's "Report on Forestry," 1877, p. 470, where the author

copies from Prof. W. C. Kerr, State Geologist, North Carolina, as

follows: "The chestnut was formerly abundant in the Piedmont region,

down to the country between the Catawba and Yadkin rivers, but

within the last thirty years they have mostly perished. They are now

found east of the Blue Ridge only, on higher ridges and spurs of the

mountains. They have suffered injury here, and are dying out both

here and beyond the Blue Ridge. They are much less fruitful than

they were a generation ago, and the crop is much more uncertain."

While there is nothing said about any chestnut disease in the

paragraph quoted, we only infer that the author intended to convey

the idea that the trees were suffering from some endemic malady,

although it may have been due to long drouths, insect depredators,

or other causes. A few years later Mr. Hough, in his "Elements of

Forestry," refers to the subject again, and admits that "the cause

of the malady is unknown." But as chestnuts continue to come to our

markets in vast quantities from the Piedmont regions, there must be

a goodly number of healthy trees remaining.

=Uses.=--The economic value of the chestnut, as food for mankind and

the lower animals, has been, and is still, so well known, that no

extended dissertation or compilation of historic instances of its

usefulness are required here. For almost two thousand years it has

been an important article of food throughout southern Europe, and in

some of the mountainous districts it is almost the "staff of life"

among the poorer people, who not only use these nuts in their raw

state, but roasted, boiled, stewed, and even dried and ground into

flour, from which a coarse but nutritious kind of cake or bread is

made. These nuts are also used in the same way by the poorer classes

of China and Japan, and probably in other oriental countries. In

France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, the chestnut crop is of immense

importance, not only for domestic use, but commercially, because all

surplus is wanted by other nations, who are ever ready to take a

share, and pay a good round price for the same.

In this country chestnuts are mainly used as a luxury or a kind of

pocket lunch for the children, as they are rarely brought to the

table, and it is very doubtful if the American housewife, or our

cooks,--unless foreign born and bred,--know anything about preparing

these delicious nuts for comestible purposes. Cereals, meats, fruits

and vegetables have always been so abundant and cheap in this

country, that the poorest of the poor could indulge in them without

stint or limit; but all this will change sooner or later, and when

our population has doubled or trebled, the edible nuts must become

of much more importance than now, and a roast turkey stuffed with

chestnuts may figure as the ideal of gastronomic art.

As our native chestnuts are now annually consumed by the thousands

of bushels, and the imported varieties by millions of pounds, and

all as a mere luxury,--not a necessity nor an article which we could

not dispense with without any serious inconvenience,--we may well

consider what the future demand must be, and make haste to meet it

with an abundant supply.