73 
height of ten feet or more) sprouting from the bases of dead 
chestnut stumps are not uncommon in this region, but few of these 
shoots bloom, and more rarely still do they bear pistillate flowers. 
We were particularly fortunate, therefore, in finding near a road- 
side, on land of Mrs. J. A. Burden, in Syosset, wild saplings of 
American chestnut (really basal shoots from an old stump), the 
oldest of these about ten years old and twelve feet in height, bear- 
ing several pistillate flowers. These were crossed several times 
with pollen from the Japanese chestnut of Mr. Minturn, but evi- 
dently we misjudged the period of receptivity for the pistils of 
this species, since from the thirty-two flower clusters (young burs) 
pollinated, only one nut was matured. We hope that members of 
the Garden and other interested persons will cooperate in our effort 
to locate similar American trees at points easily accessible from 
Brooklyn, in order that this work may be extended, that is, using 
American trees as the nut-bearing parents. 
Observations on Self-sterility—Continuing our experiments of 
1931 (Brooktyn Bor. Garp. Recorp 21, No. 2; p. 52), further 
data were collected on  self-sterility in the chestnut. Thirty 
branches of the Hammond tree and seven branches of the Min- 
turn tree, bearing both staminate and pistillate flowers, were bagged 
before the flowers had opened, and were left undisturbed through- 
out the blossoming period of the trees, thus presumably insuring 
self-pollination. None of these inflorescences matured nuts. 
3. Plantings of Native Chestnuts 
In order to obtain stock for future crossing experiments, and 
also with a view to the possible selection of disease-resistant 
strains, we have this fall (1933) planted 202 nuts of American 
chestnut (C. dentata) obtained from various parts of the country ; 
many more nuts have been stratified for planting in the spring of 
1934. A list of these plantings follows. 
ear 
Date 
Number of Nuts Given by Origin Planted 
91 (plus * Sau ied) Miss Hilda Loines Virginia ae 4/35 
LAA Bee Mrs. G. Stewart Brown Liberty, N. Y. 11/23/33 
10 Miss Maud H. Purdy Somerset (?) Co. 10/19/33 
Pennsylvania 
37 Mr. Charles Bee Pennsylvania 10/19/33 
B60 2 ve H. K. Svenso Western Pa. 11/5/33 
4 . J. Stuart Thomson Snowy Mt., Pa. 10/14/33 
