83 



very well formed. I planted both of them and last fall I took up one 

 and I found that it had a root system about four inches long. The 

 one this year I allowed to remain and it has grown branches about 1 

 ft. in length. 



Another method I have tried, I don't know whether anybody else 

 has tried it or not, is by layering the chestnut. I have used a number 

 of different methods. One is to graft them quite low and bury the 

 graft, in the hope that they will root on their own stock. Another 

 method was to use a container can, or something of that sort, place it 

 on a stake and allow the limb to pass through it, girdle, and allow 

 roots to develop. Whether that is going to be successful I don't 

 know. Time will tell. 



I am telling you this in order to give you an idea of why I changed 

 my plan and how I was expecting to carry it out. 



Now with the actual work of immunizing, I have not done a great 

 deal of it this summer. I have only injected half a dozen trees, only 

 trees that I wanted to save. Heretofore I found I had on my hands 

 a lot of trees that were not worth saving. Next to a tree that is 

 blighted I think a loafer tree is about as bad, and I don't propose to 

 fool around and try to immunize anj'thing that is not going to bear 

 the best quality of nut that can be gotten. 



I have one, a Champion, which I had given a couple of 

 injections last year, where I discovered that the blight had almost 

 killed the tree. It had gone around the tree except for the distance 

 of half an inch. I gave three injections immediately and today it has 

 callus at least 2^ inches wide. The tree is in very good shape. Of 

 course it is not entirely healed. As an extra precaution, some of the 

 sprouts that came up I inserted into the trunk above the injection in 

 order to protect it further if necessary, thus bridge grafting it. 



A few of the trees on which I was making experiments last year 

 have died, largely because I paid no further attention to them. I dis- 

 covered they were worthless for my future results. 



As I said before, I don't expect to offer a great deal of proof. I 

 am not trying to convince scientists just at this particular time, but 



