532 ANNUAL, RErORT OF TTTB ' Off. Doc. 



protected from the wind by allowing the undergrowth to remain 

 when clearing the land for the grove. After two or three years, the 

 grafts are lirnily established, and then everything is cleared away. 

 By keeping the grove clean, the harvesting is facilitated, and there 

 is less danger from fire, and the insect pests can be fought with 

 greater ease. 



It is doubtful, as yet, whether the growing of chestnuts in "or- 

 chards"' will pay. Grafted seedlings may be purchased at from 

 fifty cents to one dollar each, and with proper care in transplanting 

 most of them should live. Chestnut "groves" certainly will pay. 

 The call for nuts is at present largo and the demand still growing, 

 especially in the Middle West. Prejudice and ignorance are among 

 the factors "which keep many from attempting the cultivation of the 

 nut. The American people will soon learn the value of chestnuts, 

 and then the demand for them will increase. We are just learning 

 how to prepare and use the chestnut as food. 



In Europe the cultivated chestnut is an important food product, 

 and in Italy, France, Spain and Turkey, it serves as one of the 

 chief articles of food to the peasants, who long ago learned how 

 to prepare it. In recent years much interest has been manifested 

 relative to the commercial ^alue of chestnuts, and there has been 

 a steady increase in the demand for large nuts. These find ready 

 sale, and this fact has encouraged the cultivation of various Eu- 

 ropean and Japanese varieties by horticulturists. 



Intense interest is being aroused in Paragon chestnuts and there 

 is a great demand for young trees, so great has been the call for 

 them that I have started a nursery and young trees can scarcely 

 be grown fast enough to supply the demand. In one lot I have 

 10,000 seedlings, two years old. another plot of ground contains 

 20,000 seedlings one year old. This last season, 190G, 208 bushels 

 of nuts were buried for planting in spring. The 208 bushels ought 

 to produce 250,000 trees at least. 



The demand for the nuts is far greater than the supply. This 

 last year about 1,000 bushels were harvested and this amount would 

 not begin to supply the demand. One carload was shipped to Seat 

 tie, at 15.00 per bushel, F. O. B., at Paxinos, and order after order 

 was turned down because the crop had been sold. 



One order was booked in December 1900, for 500 bushels, of this 

 years (1907) crop, to be shipped to Seattle, Washington, and several 

 other letters of inquiry have been received from all parts of the 

 United States for chestnuts for this year's delivery. 



(The discussion of foregoing topic is omitted for want of space.) 



Afternoon Session, 2 P. M. 



Having called the meeting to order, the President asked for 

 report of committee on nominations, who submitted the following 

 list of officers for 1907: 



President — Gabriel Hiester, Harrisburg. 



Vice Presidents — Hon. W. T. Creasy, Catawissa; F. H. Fassett, 

 Meshoppen; R. M. Elden, Aspers, 



