T9 



prejudice the planters against the entire genus. It is a difficult mat- 

 ter, tlierefore, to induce prospective planters in that section to con- 

 sider any species of chestnut. 



In the East, it is well known tiiat tlic native species does not come 

 into bearing until 12 or 15 years of age at best, and that to induce 

 pollination and a set of nuts, it is necessary to inter-plant a number 

 of varieties together. Had groups of varieties of American or Euro- 

 pean origin been jolanted on the Coast, instead of single trees of the 

 former or varieties from Asia, it is not improbable that the present atti- 

 tude toward the chestnut in the Pacific Northwest would have been 

 quite different. 



The work of the late Dr. \^in Fleet, in hybridizing various chest- 

 nut species and in testing out Chinese and Japanese species with a view 

 to determining their value as nut producers and their resistance to the 

 I>.irk disease, is familiar to most members of the Northern Nut Grow- 

 ers' Association. Since the death of Dr. Van Fleet, the work has been 

 taken over by other hands in the Bureau of Plant Industry; but ap- 

 parently, all of the hybrids now growing in the vicinity of Washing- 

 ton, D. C, are destined to succumb to blight. At present, practically 

 every tree of the Chinese chestnut Castanea molissima , planted by Dr. 

 Van Fleet at Bell Station, ^laryland, where his work was mainly cen- 

 tered, likewise shows large blight cankers. But despite the gravity of 

 the infections, it does not appear wholly improbable that many of 

 these trees can be j^reserved. However, the wisdom of continuing 

 propagation of the Japanese species is very doubtful, as the quality of 

 nuts is usually of low order. Chestnut trees from China are generally 

 light producers; but out of the total of several hundred at Bell, several 

 this year have borne good cro))s. The flavor of the nuts is sometimes 

 sweet, but oftener, otherwise; yet the average is superior to that of the 

 Japanese chestnuts produced in the same orchard. Fortunately, it 

 happens that the nuts from some of the trees of Chinese species which 

 have been most prolific during the past season, have proved to be of 

 high quality, comparing favorably in this respect with the native sweet 

 chestnut. In size, the Chinese chestnuts average nuicli above those of 

 the American species, and while perhaps a shade smaller than those 

 from Euro]n'. they are of a size and quality which should readily 

 appeal to market demands. 



An early planting of Chinese chestnut trees at Lancaster, Pa., put 

 out by jNIr. J. F. Jones, \^ice-President of the Northern Nut Growers' 



