CHESTNUT IN TENNESSEE. 9 



the pollination period, may prevent the setting of the fruit and 

 curtail the crop of nuts. A heavy mast year is usually followed 

 by one of small mast. Even though large quantities of nuts are 

 collected for sale, enough are left on the ground to insure abundant 

 reproduction; these, however, are often eaten by hogs, or burned, 

 and small seedlings t'^at may get started are destroyed by fires and 

 by cattle. 



Seedling Reproduction. The sprouting capacity of chestnut is 

 much more important to its regeneration than its ability to repro- 

 duce by seed. Sprouts can be relied upon for reproduction in pure 

 stands or in large groups, or when chestnut is in mixture with 

 other sprout species and is managed on a short rotation. It is nec- 

 essary, however, to supplement sprouts with seedlings m order to 

 make up for those stumps, whose sprouting power 1 has ceased, 

 Where large timber is desired, as when chestnut is to be grown 

 with oak or poplar for lumber purposes, seedlings are more de- 

 sirable than sprouts. One-half to two-thirds of full light is most 

 favorable to germination. If the nuts are too exposed they may 

 dry out in the spring before the young root is thoroughly fixed in 

 the soil. It is desirable that nuts lying on the ground in the forest 

 be lightly covered during the winter, not only to keep the kernel 

 moist and in condition to germinate, but to bring it in direct con- 

 tact with the soil to facilitate rooting. To accomplish this the nuts 

 might be planted or lumbering operations carried on during a sea- 

 son which promises a good mast year; or pigs nr!ght be turned in 

 temporarily before the nuts fall. Under ordinary conditions, when 

 nuts are collected for market, the leaves and litter are sufficiently 

 disturbed by the nut gatherers to cover a large number of nuts; 

 and many seedlings are thus assured, unless the nuts left are sub- 

 sequently destroyed by swine, or the seedlings killed by fire. 



Sprouting. Most vigorous sprouting is obtained from stumps 

 of trees cut in spring, early summer, or late in winter; least vig- 

 orous sprouting is secured from trees cut during August and Sep- 

 tember. Most sprouts appear either immediately at the root collar 

 or just above the ground, and as a rule from partially independent 

 root systems. It is exceptional for sprouts to develop near the 

 tops of stumps. Such sprouts seldom make large and thrifty trees, 

 and since they cannot form an independent root system, they fre- 

 quently break from the parent stump as they become large and the 

 stump is weakened by decay. Chestnut does not sucker. 



