CHESTNUT CULTURE IN THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. 9 1 



this provision is necessary in trees which produce perfect flowers of both sexes on 

 one individual is a problem for the evolutionist ; while to the arboriculturist the fact 

 is significant only in that it shows liini that his chestnut trees should be grown in 

 groups and not singly in order to secure a full crop of nuts. In growing the various 

 native and exotic varieties many advocate a mixing of varieties as well as of 

 individuals. 



Few long-lived trees equal, and none surpass, the chestnut in rapidity of growth 

 and ease of propagation under ordinary conditions. In New Jersey* a chestnut 

 tree is recorded which had a diameter of 60 inches at the age of 70 years, and which 

 in one year increased its diameter by i inch. In the same State several trees 35 

 years old ranged from 24 up to 34 inches in diameter, with a height of 40-50 feet. 

 The rate of growth is governed to a great extent by the nature of the soil, the 

 thinner soils being less favorable to rapid tree growth than the deeper red sandstone 

 lands. The above figures are remarkable, for the average growth of the chestnut is 

 probably not over one-half as rapid. A diameter of 8 inches at 20 years and 12 at 

 30 is what may be reasonably expected as fair. Coppice should give trees of a size 

 suitable for cross-ties and telegraph poles in 25 to 35 years, and large enough for 

 posts in 15 to 20 years. 



Our native chestnut is broadly distributed throughout the Eastern United States, 

 and is found at varying elevations from sea level in Massachusetts, to 4,500 feet in 

 the mountains of North Carolina. It occurs also on soils of very diversified nature, 

 from almost pure siliceous sand to coarse, gravelly soil or shale, or even on lime- 

 stone ; on the latter, however, it is found only when the strata of the underlying 

 rock is tilted. In general tlie drv rocky land of the glacial drift is preferable to the 

 richer, more compact alluvial soil of low lands. The soil best suited for its growth 

 is a retentive clay containing some sand. The tree does not require a rich soil. 



In its more definite geographical distribution the chestnut is found from South- 

 ern Maine southward through New England ; most abundant in the valley of the 

 Merrimac River south of Concord, and in the Connecticut valley as far north as 

 Windsor, \'t. ; common in Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, and along 

 the coast as far south as Delaware, except where exposed to the direct winds from 

 the sea. In Canada it is common in the Province of Ontario. In the Middle States 

 it is common in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Southern New York and parts of Mary- 

 land, and southward it is found all along the Alleghany Mountains to Alabama, and 

 westward to Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee. 



The chestnut tree attains its greatest development in Western North Carolina 



* New Jersey Geological Survey. Report on Forests, igoo. 



