G9 



would appear tlial tlie qiu'stion of imiiiunity can have practically 

 no direct or iiiuuediate bearing upon the saving of our forest 

 chestnut trees. 



At the present time there is every jirosiject that we can rea- 

 S()nal)]y expect to procure innuune pure bred varieties or species 

 of chestnuts from northern Asia and Japan. Indeed, Ave already 

 know that some of the Japanese and Korean chestnuts are al- 

 most, if not quite, immune to the disease. I think it is safe to 

 say, where Japanese varieties have been killed by this disease, 

 that in more than ninet^^ per cent, of the cases which have come 

 under our personal observation, the trees have been grafted witli 

 Japanese scions on American or European stocks, and the Jap- 

 anese trees have been killed by girdling below the graft. AVe 

 have repeatedly observed such cases where the stock has been 

 absolutely covered with disease up to the graft line, with not a 

 sign of it anywhere on the Japanese portion. Naturally, this fact 

 in itself is strong proof of the immune nature of these particular 

 Japanese varieties. As these highly resistant, or pisrhaps im- 

 mune, trees are with us small, and the nuts, though often huge, 

 are of inferior quality, their value will be almost entirely as or- 

 luimental trees, and prol)ably never, in our time at least, of any 

 value in replacing the Aniorican chestnut. If the better flavored 

 native and Paragon nuts should disappear from the market, we 

 would doubtless soon turn to the inferior Ja})anese nut as a sub- 

 stitute. 



In recent years much has been accomplished along [lie line of 

 breeding hybrids or strains of plants which are not only often 

 fine in quality, but also highly resistant to disease. The results 

 that have been attained in this direction within a comparatively 

 few years are truly gratifying, but the future will witness 

 greater results. There is no i-eason to doubt that we may even- 

 tually see an imniuiic iiyln-id cliesluut that will rival tlie Ameri- 

 can sweet chestnut in flavor of the nut, and the Paragon in 

 size. 



THE OHAIRjMAN: You will recall that, while we were 

 listening to the addresses in rc^sponse to the remarks of Gover- 

 nor Tener, the gentleman from ('<»nnecticut stated that he had 



