86 



I remember seeing pure American chestnuts that were considerably 

 over an inch in diameter. Older men throughout the chestnut area may 

 still identify the exact trees which produced these exceptional nuts. 

 These trees are, of course, dead, but some of them still have a few 

 sprouts and, being seedlings, these sprouts will reproduce the original. 

 One of the greatest assets at this time would be the locating of a few 

 of tliese splendid plants, for it seems to me that nothing else in the 

 forestry line is so desirable. And this brings me to another point. 

 Perhajis I am going off at a tangent into space, but sometimes it is 

 necessary to do such things in order to get a clear conception of what 

 we really need. 



UjJ to this time I have laid stress on the chestnut for its valuable 

 nut alone. If the loss of the nut of the American chestnut were the 

 only item, it seems to me that we could very readily reconcile our- 

 selves, but it is not. The chasm formed by the loss of the lumber is the 

 greatest one to bridge. I have eaten Chinese chestnuts that were so fine 

 in quality that they compared very favorably with the average Amer- 

 ican nut. But tell me, if you will, where we can find timber that 

 sprouts so readily from the stump after being cut over, grows so 

 straight, that is as hard and takes as fine polish, that is as free from 

 knots, and that is as resistant to the elements as the American chest- 

 nut wood. There was no limit to its usefulness. Can we expect the 

 Chinese chestnut to fill this vacancy? Perhaps. But it is well to 

 remember that the blight has undoubtedly played on them so heavily 

 through the ages that they have given up their tall slender growth for 

 other forms not so desirable for timber purposes. If the American 

 chestnut were to go through the slow process of nature's method of im- 

 munization, the chances are that it too would take on this undesirable 

 character, whereas, if we induce a rather high degree of immunity over 

 ;^ comparatively short period of time, the tree will still retain its natural 

 liabits. This is why I am so anxious to find a plant that bears a very 

 large nut of good quality. I feel that it is practical to have both a 

 nut tree and a timber tree combined and so far as I can see, this scheme 

 is the most logical method. 



Last year stress was laid on experiment No. 1 00, which was appar- 

 ently well on the way to recovery until I foolishly cut off the top and 

 g-rafted, after which it became reinforced and rapidly succumbed. Dr. 

 Morris in his discussion referred to the significance of this incident. 



