46 
determining their possible association with the smut-resistant 
quality. 
Forest Pathology 
By ArtHurR HARMOUNT GRAVES 
Breeding Work IVith the Chestnut During 1931 
As in former years, the research work with the chestnut has 
been carried on in collaboration with | Division of Forest Pathol- 
ogy, Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 
The work has consisted of a continuation of the hybridizing exper- 
iments with the Japanese chestnut, Castanea crenata, and the 
American chestnut, C. dentata, with a view to securing, if possible, 
a stock which inherits the parental characters which are desirable 
from the standpoint of ae —namely, the disease resistance of 
the Japanese, and the tall-timber-growing character of the Ameri- 
can, 
In this hybridizing work of the year before, as stated in the 
Brooklyn Botanic Garden Record (Vol. 20, p. 87), ten nuts were 
secured, all presumably hybrids. It is with profound regret that 
I have now to report that not a single one of these nuts germinated. 
As stated in the report of last year on this work, the nuts were 
stored during the winter (until the end of January, 1931) in the 
cool propagating house of the Conservatories, in sand and slightly 
dampened sphagnum moss. On January 30 they were planted 
in 4-inch pots, some in loam and some in clean sand, and all were 
placed in the warm propagating house. Instead of germinating, 
decay set in, and by April 1 all had rotted. 
In spite of this discouraging setback, we have this year more 
than quadrupled our efforts in the pollination work, and have 
changed somewhat the method used for germination of the nuts. 
With the help of Miss Rusk, 240 flowering branches of six Jap- 
anese chestnuts were bagged and pollinated with pollen from 
American chestnuts, as against 50 branches in the previous year 
on three Japanese trees. Of the three new trees worked with, 
two are on the property of Mr. Howard N. Folk, at Brielle, 
Monmouth Co., N. J., and the third belongs to Mr. John W. 
Minturn, Syosset, Long Island (township of Oyster Bay). We 
are pleased to acknowledge here the cordial cooperation of these 
