lo Oct., 1910.] The Chestnut. 661 



particular, the writer frequently met with storage casks made of this wood. 

 Its high tarmin contents cause it to be esteemed for the storage of young 

 wines, on which this substance exerts its well-known preservative action. 



This high tannin percentage brings us to the most recent use of the 

 chestnut tree in Southern Europe, a use which bids fair to lead to the 

 ultimate extermination of this beautiful tree in many, at least, of the 

 regions where, since time immemorial, it has been the main supporter of 

 the population. Unlike so many tannin plants, in which the bark is the 

 portion containing tannin, as is the case with our own wattles, the whole 

 wood of the tree is rich in this substance, varying a good deal according 

 to circumstances. The older the tree, the richer the wood in tannin — up 

 to about forty or fifty years. Young wood contains comparatively little. 



According to analy.ses made by M. Muntz,* the percentage varied be- 

 tween 8 per cent, and 16.17 per cent, in the wood; in the only analysis 

 of bark given it was 6.6 per cent. The highest proportion of tannin was 

 contained by the heart wood. So far as tannin contents are concerned, 

 it seems to be second only to the South American Quebracho {Asfidio- 

 sfermum Quebracho), which contains from 16 to 23 per cent, of tannin, f 

 The average percentage of tannin in the cliestnut wood treated in French 

 factories is between 8 and 10 per cent. The wood is cut, against the 

 grain, into thin shavings, from which the tannin is extracted by Avater. 



The preparation of this extract is now a very considerable industry in 

 France, where numerous factories have recently been established. In the 

 department of Ardeche alone, with its 82,000 acres of chestnut trees, there 

 are five factories which between them treat 150 tons of wood per day. 

 In order to supply this it is necessary to cut down no less than 750 acres 

 of plantations every year. In most of the chestnut-growing departments, 

 the same destructive agency is at work, and it is feared that the tendency 

 is towards even greater activity if one can judge by the price paid for 

 wood, which has rapidlv risen from iis. 2d. to 13s. 7d., and even 14s. 5d. 

 per ton. 



The Decline of the Chestnut in France. 



It is thus evident that, in spite of its many precious qualities, the area 

 under chestnuts is gradually declining ; nor is this due to any fault of the 

 tree itself. It cannot, of course, claim to yield anything like the profits 

 to be expected from most of our fruit trees and other plants usually 

 submitted to inten.se culture. No doubt, .seme French plantations have 

 been established in rich soil and in these, now that means of communica- 

 tion have been opened up. other products giving higher returns per acre 

 are being substituted for it, but this would not account for anything like 

 the areas which are yearly being grubbed out. It is the recent impetus 

 given to the tannin extraction industry which is the rnain cause of the 

 decline. Apparently the poor quality of the fruit produced by many of 

 the trees is responsible for the willingness of their owners to thus sacrifice 

 them. M. Farcy points out the desirability of planting only trees grafted 

 with Ijetter varieties, leaving the old and faulty ones for tannin extraction. 



There is also another cause, in the shape of a disease of somewhat 

 recent origin, which is in some districts working considerable havoc and 

 which is causing many owners of trees to sell them to the tannin factories. 



These different causes are responsible for a decline concerning which 

 French agricultural journals are loud in their lamentations. 



* L. Mangin, Revue de Viticulture, i8th February, 1904 

 + L. Manjin, Revue de Viticulture, 31st December, 1903. 



