68 



pound, the other sold the crop at about 18c a pound. The average 

 was about 23c a pound. The net value of the crop two years ago was 

 $550.52 an acre. Last year, as Miss Riehl says in her letter about her 

 own trees, the crop was not so large because we had excessive rains 

 during blooming time and the pollen was washed away*. Illinois is 



*WHITFORD NURSERY 



Farina, Illinois 



Sept. 28/28 



Mr. Willard G. Bixby: 



The amount of $552.50 is very nearly correct as the amount of gross 

 receipts per acre from the 1926 chestnut crop on the old home farm. 

 The crop from 125 old bearing trees was 7520 lbs., which sold at an 

 average price of 23c per pound or $172S.60. Acreage 3%. 



Crop 1927 due to the rainy and cold weather and poor pollination being 

 2700 lbs. but quality good and price 25c per lb. net. 



Crop this year nearly as heavy as 1926 and nearly ready to harvest. 



Our plantings here at Farina amount to nearly 3000 trees with an 

 acreage of 100 acres. Young trees from one to three years of age and 

 having a few nuts on this fall. We consider our soil very suitable if well 

 drained. Our only trouble so far is the hot sun in summer and winter 

 which scalds the trunks and burns the foliage causing a very small 

 percent of loss. 



A. M. Whitford 



favored by the fact that the chestnut grows very rapidly there. There 

 are a good many plantings. Mr. Endicott of Villa Ridge has a num- 

 ber. Over near Jacksonville, Illinois, is a party who has practically 

 lived off a chestnut grove that he has. The chestnut grows very 

 readily and up to the present time is free from blight. Through the 

 activities of this association the Governor has instituted a quarantine 

 against New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia and the states along 

 that line clear to the Atlantic Ocean, but Carolina, Kentucky and Ten- 

 nessee were omitted and they and a good many more have slipped 

 trees through and sold them. Over in Indiana a large orchard was 

 caught and burnt just because some of that cheap stuff was shipped in. 



While I am on my feet I just want to say one thing to the Canadian 

 friends that are here. Like a great many other visitors we were 

 charmed with the beauty of that reproduction of Niagara Falls in 

 diamonds in the window of a leading jeweler. According to the card 

 in the window that display was worth $250,000. Now that is just an 

 exaggeration of extravagance. There is not a single solitary thing 



