74 
IXveryone who traveled last fall through parts of New York, 
New Jersey, and Connecticut adjacent to New York City must 
have noticed the large number of roadside stands where American 
cay 
chestnuts labelled ‘ native chestnuts were offered for sale. 
— 
These brought rather high prices compared with those of the old 
days: at one place in New Jersey Dr. Svenson bought 4% pint for 
35 cents; a pint sold for 60 cents. This high price of the nuts is 
interesting from at least two angles. In the first place it shows 
that the nuts, which were everywhere enthusiastically advertised 
as “native,” still retain their old reputation for sweetness and 
general edibility, and therefore are and will be successful com- 
petitors with the imported kinds. In the second place, it shows 
that in our attempt to breed for a disease-resistant timber tree we 
should also keep in mind the edible quality of the nuts as well. 
It is said that the nuts offered for sale at the roadside stands are 
from points in the southern states where the blight has not yet 
(presumably ) killed out all the native chestnuts. 
Cuttings —At intervals during the year a number of cuttings 
were taken from various chestnut species, in an effort to find a 
method of rooting them. Thus far, there have been no positive 
results. 
Herbarium Specimens,—Dried specimens of various chestnut 
species and hybrids have been collected for a study of the leaf and 
twig characters, and to serve as a permanent record of the ma- 
terial studied, 
Needs.—We are continually hampered in our work for lack of 
adequate greenhouse space; the poor germination of the hybrid 
nuts which were secured last year after many days of hard work 
may have been due in part to a lack of suitable greenhouse condi- 
tions. If ultimately we shall have been able to develop a chestnut 
tree suitable for replacing our lost American chestnut, the expense 
of a special greenhouse for this particular work will seem slight 
— 
indeed. T know, of course, that the present is a most inauspicious 
time to speak of this, yet the urgency of the need is, I think, suf- 
ficient justification. 
—_— 
am glad to have this opportunity to acknowledge with thanks 
the cooperation of the Division of Forest Pathology, U.S. De- 
partment of Agriculture, in this work. I also appreciate the in- 
