85 



Some could ha used, oC course, for pulp wood; l»u( notice, among 

 the old slumps, there are a lew sprouts coniini; up. These are 

 sprouts of the native chestnut, and it was upon these sprouts 

 that Air. Sober conceived the idea of i^rafting. Of course, it had 

 been done elsewhere, but not upon his four hundred acres. That 

 was the beginning of his Paragon chestnut. 



As we approach the grove at the present time, you will see the 

 mountain side in Irish Valley from this view. This shows on 

 the hillside from a distance a i)ortion of the four hundred acres, 

 which is noW' grafted, and from one end of the ijicture to the 

 other represents a distance of over a mile. 



In the next view, as we approach the farm, coming near to the 

 buildings, you can see the nature of the surrounding country, 

 the hillside. Back in the centre of the picture, at the toj), is 

 ninety acres now grafted to the Paragon chestnut. 



In the next view we see the farm buildings and, starting from 

 the buildings, we will now visit the grove as it apjjeared last 

 October. 



Driving up the road y(m notice along the roadside everywhere 

 seedlings grafted to the Paragon. They have been transplanted, 

 and all along the road Avherever you drive, 3^ou will see these, 

 trees. 



As we approach the grove, you can see its condition in this 



view. This is a portion of the four hundred acres. There are 



shown in the view about three hundred acres. Above you see the 



the mountain side, as this grove would now have been had he not 



' cleared it. 



A nearer approach to the grove show\s the grafted trees, and 

 above them the native chestnut lu-incipally. This land was ori- 

 ginally covered with, I suppose, white pine. That w^as removed 

 and later hard woods came in its place, oak, chestnut, and other 

 hard woods. Now it meant considerable work removing and 

 clearing and grafting these trees, and I wish io show you the 

 various stages as we ])ass along. 



As we enter the grove, it is harvest time, as shown in (his view. 

 They are gathering (he nn(s, which have been ]»laced in bags at 

 this particular pjuMiou, so (I'at wo are just entering the grove. 



