No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 531 



is a forest of native cheS'tuiit trees. Tlie native trees are cut down 

 during the winter and the young sprouts which arise during the 

 next year are, when one or two years old, grafted witli scions from 

 cultivated nuts. The grafts made a rapid growth because of the 

 established root system of the sprouts upon which they are grafted. 

 When seedling chestnuts are grafted in the nursery, and afterward 

 set out in rows, usually in cultivated land, the resulting growth is 

 called an orchard. Sometimes the chestnuts are planted in hills, 

 twenty-iive or thirty feet apart. The young seedlings are allowed 

 to remain in the hills and when three or four years old grafted. 

 This, of course, produces an orchard, and the fact that the young 

 trees do not need to be transplanted, is a decided advantage. 



In the grove there is less liability of failure in obtaining a full 

 stand of trees, the loss attendant upon transplanting being elimina- 

 ted. Often the grove may be started on a hillside which would be 

 worthless for any other purpose. It is not necessary that the 

 growth of native trees be pure. If one tree io three is a chestnut, 

 no more are necessary. 



Having selected the area for the grove, work may begin at once, 

 but preferably during the fall and winter months. All trees in the 

 proposed grove should be cut down and the brush burned, leaving 

 the ground as clean as possible. Frequently the lumber removed 

 will more than pay for the clearing. If the selected ground is al- 

 ready waste land, it may be ready for grafting the following spring, 

 or it may be necessary to clean the ground, removing the brush 

 and rubbish by burning. If there is a chance to select the location 

 #f the grove, it should be located where it may easily be protected 

 from forest fires. It is desirable to make fire lanes at once, before 

 beginning the grafting. Fire is the worst enemy of the chestnut 

 grove, but by keeping the ground clean, it may be controlled. 



Having cleared the ground during the winter, it is necessary to 

 wait one year for the chestnut sprouts to grow before they are 

 ready for grafting. The following spring, which is the second after 

 clearing the ground, the grafting should begin. The sprouts which 

 come from tiie lowest portion of the stump will become independent 

 trees before those which arise higher up, and, therefore, should be 

 selected. At least two such sprouts, or more, according to circum- 

 stances, should be grafted on every stump, and on opposite sides 

 if possible. Both may remain for several years, and if one is 

 found to be superior to the other, the poorer one may be used to 

 furnish scions. The sprouts which are not grafted should be al- 

 lowed to remain for a few seasons to protect the young grafts from 

 the wind and frost. When the grafts are one year old they should 

 be cut back in order to get a good top. The growth during the first 

 year is usually fan-shaped and will not make the best shaped tree. 

 On the original scion only one or two buds are left, and these 

 grow with surprising rapidity during the first year. When only one 

 bud is left on a graft, it will sometimes make the enormous growth 

 of nine feet without a single branch. This growth is made possible 

 by the established roots of the old stump. In cutting back such a 

 sprout, from three to five buds should be left. This will insure 

 a low crown, which is as desirable in chestnuts as in peaches. In 

 cutting back the young grafts, another supply of scions is fur- 

 nished. In exposed portions of the grove, the young sprouts are 



