﻿52 
  

  

  commercial 
  proposition 
  with 
  chestnuts 
  the 
  people 
  are 
  wide 
  

   awake 
  to 
  the 
  seriousness 
  of 
  the 
  blight. 
  They 
  are 
  afraid 
  to 
  go 
  

   into 
  growing 
  chestnut 
  orchards; 
  they 
  have 
  had 
  so 
  many 
  fake 
  

   propositions 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  in 
  pecan 
  promotions 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  

   afraid 
  of 
  chestnuts 
  and 
  everything 
  else. 
  Any 
  proposition 
  for 
  

   bringing 
  forward 
  chestnuts 
  commercially 
  must 
  be 
  a 
  plain, 
  sim- 
  

   ple, 
  straightforward 
  statement 
  of 
  the 
  truth, 
  the 
  whole 
  truth 
  

   and 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  truth. 
  We 
  are 
  ready, 
  all 
  through 
  the 
  North 
  

   and 
  East, 
  to 
  raise 
  hundreds 
  of 
  acres 
  of 
  chestnuts, 
  such 
  as 
  Mr. 
  

   Reed 
  has 
  spoken 
  about, 
  ones 
  which 
  resist 
  the 
  blight, 
  or 
  ones 
  

   which 
  resist 
  the 
  blight 
  comparatively 
  well. 
  

  

  Let 
  us 
  consider 
  comparative 
  immunity 
  for 
  a 
  moment. 
  We 
  

   know 
  how 
  expensive 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  manage 
  an 
  apple 
  orchard, 
  and 
  yet, 
  

   with 
  the 
  present 
  high 
  prices, 
  the 
  profits 
  on 
  apple 
  orchards, 
  well 
  

   managed, 
  are 
  great. 
  May 
  we 
  not 
  have 
  chestnut 
  orchards 
  man- 
  

   aged 
  with 
  the 
  same 
  degree 
  of 
  relative 
  expense 
  and 
  the 
  same 
  

   degree 
  of 
  relative 
  profit 
  ? 
  I 
  would 
  like 
  very 
  much 
  to 
  hear 
  from 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  men 
  who 
  have 
  actually 
  raised 
  chestnuts 
  in 
  orchards 
  

   concerning 
  the 
  relative 
  care 
  of 
  the 
  chestnut 
  compared 
  with 
  

   the 
  apple, 
  and 
  the 
  relative 
  profit. 
  I 
  see 
  Col. 
  Sober 
  here; 
  can't 
  

   you 
  tell 
  us 
  about 
  your 
  experience 
  in 
  managing 
  the 
  blight 
  ? 
  Can 
  

   it 
  be 
  managed 
  successfully 
  in 
  proportion 
  as 
  apple 
  tree 
  parasites 
  

   are 
  managed 
  ? 
  

  

  Col. 
  Sober: 
  My 
  experience 
  has 
  been 
  this; 
  I 
  have 
  four 
  hun- 
  

   dred 
  acres 
  of 
  chestnuts 
  in 
  bearing. 
  They 
  range 
  from 
  five 
  years 
  

   to 
  fifteen 
  years 
  old. 
  I 
  find 
  that 
  I 
  can 
  control 
  the 
  blight 
  easier 
  

   than 
  I 
  can 
  control 
  the 
  scale 
  on 
  apple 
  trees. 
  If 
  anyone 
  doesn't 
  

   believe 
  this 
  I 
  invite 
  him 
  and 
  all 
  to 
  come 
  to 
  my 
  place 
  and 
  see 
  

   for 
  themselves. 
  I 
  think 
  I 
  have 
  nearly 
  one 
  million 
  seedling 
  and 
  

   grafted 
  paragon 
  trees. 
  I 
  don't 
  think 
  you 
  will 
  find 
  fifty 
  affected 
  

   trees 
  on 
  the 
  whole 
  place 
  today. 
  I 
  have 
  men 
  going 
  in 
  every 
  

   grove 
  at 
  the 
  present 
  time 
  who 
  have 
  inspected 
  thousands 
  of 
  

   trees 
  and 
  found 
  seven 
  that 
  had 
  blight 
  on 
  the 
  limbs, 
  so 
  I 
  know 
  

   what 
  I 
  am 
  speaking 
  about. 
  

  

  The 
  Chairman: 
  What 
  is 
  your 
  method 
  ? 
  

  

  Col. 
  Sober: 
  Cutting 
  out, 
  cutting 
  off 
  anything 
  I 
  see; 
  if 
  it 
  

   is 
  really 
  necessary, 
  cut 
  the 
  tree 
  down; 
  but 
  we 
  don't 
  often 
  find 
  

   that 
  necessary 
  because 
  just 
  as 
  quick 
  as 
  we 
  see 
  any 
  affected, 
  or 
  

   any 
  limb 
  dying 
  or 
  dead, 
  we 
  cut 
  it 
  off. 
  I 
  had 
  my 
  groves 
  laid 
  

   out 
  in 
  sections 
  of 
  a 
  hundred 
  feet 
  wide 
  and 
  numbered; 
  and 
  I 
  

   had 
  charts 
  made 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  can 
  be 
  inspected 
  section 
  by 
  sec- 
  

   tion. 
  In 
  that 
  manner, 
  every 
  tree 
  is 
  inspected. 
  One 
  individual 
  

  

  