746 



CHESTNUT 



CHICORY 



917. Boone chestnut. 



by leaf diseases and nut-eating insect larvae. As productiveness 

 and earliness are the most important points in chestnut-culture at 

 the present time, this type is the most important to commercial 

 nut-growers. Because of the ease with which chestnuts hybridize, 

 the disease-resistance of varieties that have originated from seed 

 produced within the habitat of the American chestnut must be 

 regarded as doubtful until thoroughly tested. Information as to 

 the place of production of the seed from which the several varieties 



originated is there- 

 fore of importance 

 in selecting varie- 

 ties for planting. 

 The more important 

 named varieties are 

 as follows: 



Alpha . New 

 Jersey. Bur me- 

 dium; nuts medium 

 to large, generally 

 three in a bur, dark, 

 of fair quality, ripe- 

 ning very early. 

 Tree upright, very 

 vigorous and pro- 

 ductive. Originated 

 in New Jersey from 

 seed of Parry. 



Beta, New Jer- 

 sey. Bur small; nut 

 medium, light 

 brown, smooth, 

 slightly tomentose 

 at tip, good; ripe- 

 ning just after 

 Alpha. Seedling of 

 Parry. 



Biddle. New 

 Jersey. First fruited 

 in Maryland. Bur 



medium; nut large, bright brown, broad, rather thickly tomentose, 

 two to five in a bur; of medium season and fair quality. Tree 

 regular, round-headed, vigorous. Grown from imported seed. 



Black (syn., Dr. Black). New Jersey. First fruited in Mary- 

 land. Bur large; nut medium to large; three to seven in a bur, con- 

 sequently irregular in shape; dark brown, slightly tomentose, very 

 early and of good quality. Tree round, close-headed, vigorous, pro- 

 ductive. Grown from imported seed. 



Boone. Villa Ridge, III. Fig. 917. A hybrid between Giant and 

 a native chestnut. Bur of medium size; nuts large, usually three in 

 a bur; of light brown color, rather heavily tomentose; quality very 

 good. Tree vigorous, precocious and productive, nuts ripening 

 early. Considered difficult to propagate. 



Coe. -California. A large, very sweet variety, but recently 

 disseminated. Tree upright, somewhat spreading. Grown from 

 imported seed. 



Felton. New Jersey. First fruited in Delaware. Bur small; 

 nut medium, dark brown, slightly tomentose, rather early and of 

 excellent quality. Tree round-headed and fairly productive. 

 Grown from seed of an imported tree. 



Giant. Japan. A trade name, under which a number of varie- 

 ties have been imported from Japan. See Parry. 



Hale (syn., Eighteen Months). California. A newly intro- 

 duced variety, having a large, dark brown nut of excellent quality. 

 Very precocious. Grown from imported seed. 



Kent (syn., Extra Early). New Jersey. First fruited in .Dela- 

 ware. Bur small, nut medium to large, dark, usually three in a bur; 

 very early, of good quality. Tree round-headed, precocious, pro- 

 ductive. Grown from seed of an imported tree. 



Kerr. New Jersey. First fruited in Maryland. Bur small; 

 nut medium to large, dark brown, broad, three in a bur, early, and 

 of excellent quality. Tree vigorous, symmetrical, round-headed, 

 very productive. Grown from imported seed. 



Kitten.' New Jersey. First fruited in Delaware. Bur very 

 large; nut very large, broad, light brown, slightly ridged, of excel- 

 lent quality, midseason. Tree upright, open, spreading, moder- 

 ately vigorous, productive. The largest chestnut yet brought to 

 notice. Grown from seed of an imported tree. 



Mammoth. A trade name for the imported Japanese nuts and 

 trees, not restricted to any particular variety. 



Martin (syn., Col. Martin). New Jersey. First fruited in 

 Maryland. Bur large; nut large to very large, broad, bright reddish 

 brown, slightly tomentose, three to five nuts in a bur. Midseason; 

 of good quality for cooking. Tree vigorous, open, spreading, pro- 

 ductive. Grown from imported seed. 



McFarland. California. Bur very large; nut large, and of fine 

 quality; early. Tree spreading, very productive. A newly dissem- 

 inated variety of great promise. Grown from imported seed. 



Parry. Japan. Bur very large; nut very large, one to three in 

 a bur, broad, with apex sometimes depressed; dark brown, ridged, 

 of fair quality. Tree moderately vigorous, open, spreading, with 

 large leaves. One of the largest and most beautiful of this group. 

 Selected for propagation as the best of 1,000 imported grafted 

 Japanese chestnuts. 



Prolific. Japan. Bur small; nut medium, rather long, striped, 

 three in a bur; early. Tree vigorous, compact, with small narrow 

 leaves. 



Reliance. New Jersey. Bur medium; nut medium to large, 

 rather long, light brown, ridged; midseason, and of fair quality. 

 Tree dwarfish, spreading, drooping, very precocious and produc- 

 tive; inclined to overbear, and needs thinning. Seedling of Parry. 

 Success. New Jersey. Bur very large; nut very large, usually 



three in a bur; midseason; of rather poor quality until cooked. 

 Seedling of Parry. Tree upright, productive. 



Superb. New Jersey. Bur large; nut large, broad, brown, 

 usually three in a bur, early, and of fair quality. Tree vigorous and 

 very productive. Seedling of Parry. 



A TAYLOR 

 CHEVALIERA, CHEVALIERIA, CHEVALLIERA, CHE- 



VALLIERIA. The species in the American trade are ^Echmeas. 



CHICK-PEA: Cicer. 



CHICKWEED: Cerastium and Stettaria. 



CHICORY, or SUCCORY (Cichvrium fntybus, 

 Linn.). Composite Fig. 918. A native of Europe, 

 naturalized in America and familiar to many as a weed, 

 is a pot-herb, a salad, and the leading adulterant of 

 coffee It came prominently before the public in the 

 late nineties and the early years of this century as an 

 American farm crop. Prior to that year, its cultiva- 

 tion as an adulterant and substitute for coffee was 

 largely prevented by the prejudice of the principal 

 consumers, our foreign-born population, who insisted 

 that American was inferior to European root, and also 

 by the low tariff, which allowed the root to enter duty 

 free, or with a very small impost. During 1898 and 

 1899 advantage was taken of a protective duty, and 

 several factories were erected, for which farmers grew 

 the roots. For a few years our home market was sup- 

 plied from American fields in part. But even the sub- 

 stitution of horse-power for manual labor, improved 

 plows and cultivating implements for crude ones, 

 machine-digging of the roots for hand-digging, efficient 

 slicing machines, and improved evaporating kilns did 

 not make the business satisfactory. There was not 

 enough money in it either to 

 growers or to manufacturers, so it 

 has been abandoned. 



Chicory will probably succeed 

 wherever the sugar beet is grown 

 in this country, the climatic re- 

 quirements being similar. In gen- 

 eral, it may be said to thrive upon 

 all stone-free soils that will pro- 

 duce paying staple crops, except 

 clays, lightest sands and mucks. 

 The first are too hard, the second 

 too dry, the third too rich in 

 nitrogen and too sour. The sur- 

 face layer of soil should be deep, 

 the subsoil open and well drained. 

 If the water-supply be sufficient, 

 high land is as good as low land 

 of the same texture, though if too 

 dry for profitable grain-growing, 

 the former may yet be made to 

 produce chicory; but if too wet for 

 cereals, the latter will generally be 

 found unsuitable for this root. 

 The fertilizing of the land should 

 be the same as for other root-crops, 

 nitrogen being used sparingly, 

 potash and phosphoric acid rather 

 freely one and one-fourth to one 

 and one-half times as much of the 

 former and two and one-half times 

 the latter as has been removed by 

 the preceding crop. It is best to 

 apply these fertilizers to preceding 

 crops that do not make heavy 

 demands upon them. In rotation, 

 chicory is classed with root-crops, 

 and should be preceded by a small 

 grain, since this is harvested in 

 time for fall plowing. Clover 

 should not immediately precede, 

 since it leaves too much nitrogen 



in the soil. The ground being 013. improved chicory 

 warm, fairly moist, thoroughly root. ( x 1 A) 



