230 State Horticultural Society. 



having the ground under made smooth and the stones all picked off under 

 the trees. The grass was harvested by the sheep. It was generally the 

 October frost that opened the burrs. After they had been opened some 

 days we began the harvest ; we had a long pole and could reach the lower 

 limbs and whip off the burrs. We then climbed into the trees and whipped 

 the top limbs — this would generaly shell out the nuts. Then with a rake 

 we raked off the burrs into a heap ; that cleaned off the leaves and all rub- 

 bish, so we could easily gather the nuts, and the ground was left a nicely 

 made-up bed for the sheep. The chestnut grows fast and is easily produced 

 by planting the nuts. Plant them in the place you wish them to stand. 

 Make a seed bed about three or four feet across and put in some fertilizer ; 

 but best, for a part, is mold from the woods. Plant in this bed ten or 

 twelve nuts, eight or ten inches apart, so you can decide which to leave 

 for maturity. You may select the best after they have had a year or two 

 of growth. They must be protected from the cattle or sheep till they get 

 large enough to take care of themselves. Plant good, large, chunky nuts 

 from the inside of the row in the burr. About the different kinds, in the 

 North I never saw but one kind. In this lot I describe there was a corner 

 of about an acre that was left to grow up in its natural way. Here grew 

 up tall, handsome trees, with no limbs except at the tops. These trees 

 produced nuts, but not like the others; they were long and peaked. We 

 used to get a few nuts from them, but of not much account. I found that 

 all the forest trees produced similar nuts. Sometimes on a large tree 

 at the edge of a forest the fruit would be better, showing that the open 

 air and sunlight made the difference in the form of the seed produced. 

 Where trees grow in clumps, being shaded, the lower limbs do not grow, 

 but drop off, which accounts for their long bodies. I spent ten years in 

 southwest Virginia and constructed a railroad. I found much chestnut 

 timber growing on the line. The Southern railroads would not buy chest- 

 nut cross-ties ; would buy nothing but oak. In buying my ties, I took chest- 

 nut from timber of small size where the bodies would cut one size, but not 

 from old timber. By that means I bought my ties for 20 cents each, while 

 other roads paid 30 to 35 cents. I required the bark to be peeled off. I 

 took oak with the chestnut at same price. Before I left I found many oak 

 ties rotten and had taken them out, but the chestnuts were all sound. The 

 chestnuts on these trees there were nearly one-third larger than our north- 

 ern nuts. Why, I don't know, as all the nuts came from forest trees and 

 were longer. But the nuts there proved to be wormy when they lay a few 

 months after being gathered. I think it is a good idea for farmers to 

 plant chestnuts in their pastures. They make a fine shade for their live- 

 stock, especially sheep, and afford some pleasure from the nuts; and if 



