49 



branches below the graft, which was usually inserted at abo-ut two 

 to four feet from the ground. Mr. Engle has, I believe, employed 

 both whip and cleft grafting, but prefers the former. His methods 

 involve no departure from rules well known and long practiced, ex- 

 cept perhaps a little more care. The percentage of successful grafts 

 will probably be somewhat smaller than on the o-rdinary fruit trees. 



The rapidity of growth of a graft on a sprout from a well estab- 

 lished root is simply amazing. Fuller, in "The Nut Culturist," page 

 79, speaks of such a graft (under his observation) which made dur- 

 ing the first season a length of sixty-five feet when the main stem 

 and the lateral branches were counted. It all came from a single 

 bud. 



A diameter of four inches is no unusual thickness for a paragon 

 graft of as many years, on a thrifty sprout. In that time it may be 

 expected to be in good bearing. Professor Heiges reports that 

 when he visited the chestnut orchard of Mr. Engle, "trees grafted 

 two years had as high as 35 buds, averaging three chestnuts per 

 bur. Trees grafted four years had upward of 500 burs, by actual 

 count." It is to be remembered that this was on ground capable 

 of producing no other crop. This seems to be the proper place to say 

 that when the chestnut timber has been cut and the sprouts started 

 which are to produce such a crop of nuts, that if notice be given to 

 the county commissioners within one year o-f the date of clearing of 

 an intention to reforest the land, that the owner is entitled to a 

 small State bounty for each acre, by act of June 1st, 1887. (See 

 Pamphlet Laws, page 287; see also Report of Department of Agri- 

 culture, Part II, 1895, Forestry, page 28.) 



The price of such nuts as the Paragon chestnut will of course vary 

 for each season. This year, in November, the writer paid for half a 

 bushel at the rate of seven and one-half dollars a bushel. 



It may be fairly doubted whether it is best to attempt growing 

 chestnuts for market on this plan that is on the forestry basis. 

 Will one not obtain a larger yield o<f large, sound fruit if the trees 

 be isolated (or at least not in close clumps) and the ground beneath 

 them kept clear of leaves and underbrush? This inquiry is suggested 

 by the fact that such trees are less infested by fruit-destroying in- 

 sects than those in forests, and furthermore, that where the ground 

 can be kept clean and clear of underbrush, one has a better chance 

 of destroying a large percentage of worms which would become the 

 insect parents of the following year's worms. 



Whether or not we could hope for an effectual projection against 

 these pests if all diseased chestnuts were promptly collected and 

 burned is yet a question; but there can be no doubt that such sys- 

 tematic destruction of the infested fruit would speedily decrease the 

 quantity of fruit injured. There nre early and late broods of chest- 

 4 



