294 CHERRY 



year (1899) canners have paid as high as $160 per ton 

 for white Cherries. The higher rates can only be ex- 

 pected during years of short crops. 



Edward J. Wickson. 



CHEBVIL. A term applied to two umbelliferous plants 

 which produce edible parts, neither of which is well 

 known in America. The name is sometimes applied, also, 

 tothe sweet cicely. 



Salad Chervil or Leaf Chervil is Scandix cere folium , 

 Linn., a native of S.Eu. It is annual. The neat and 

 aromatic Ivs. are used like parsley, which they much 

 resemble. The Ivs. are decompound, with oval cut leaf- 

 lets; and there are varieties with much cut and curled 

 foliage. The cultivation of Salad Chervil presents no 

 difficulties. Leaves are ready to use in 6 to 10 weeks 

 fromsccil s.uviiicr, mid iinygood garden soil is congenial. 

 Itthrivi - I f 111 III. r.M.lcr and raoister part of the year. 



TuIh r I IV .1 .ted Chervil is CJuerophylltim 



hutbosiur.i I'.ii. It is biennial or plur-annual, 



like tlic Mill! h iiihI 1 iiirot. The roots are like small 

 carrots in shape (4-") in. long), but are gray or blackish, 

 and the flesh is of different flavor. The roots are eaten 

 as carrots are, either boiled or in stews. The one diffi- 

 culty in the growing of Tul.i-rons Chervil is the fact that 

 the seeds t'' I'minut, v. rv tindily, or even not at all, if 

 kept dry i.vir ,. n: ■ I- ■ riiiary, therefore, to sow 



spring. II III,, :,,, i,!, I, , 1 1 ,cl for spring growing, 

 they should hu .,>u.dillrd ^ .m u .^'c t (Zaf/e ) or kept in sand. 

 In four or five months after germination, the roots are 

 fit to use, although they improve in quality by being 

 left in the ground. 



L. H. B. 

 CHESS, or CHEAT. Bromus. 



CHESTNUT. Three species of tree or true Chestnuts 

 are cultivated in this country for fruit, — the European 

 Castanea saliva, the American Casianea Americana, 

 the Japanese Castanea crenata. (See Castanea). The 

 horticultural characters which distinguish these three 

 types arc as follows: 



£;ilrniir,iri t'hr-ti,,,'-. -Trr-r- lire-f . -.vith n •-■pronding 



but com I'.' • ' ' - '-mI • , -, Ill I,;,, I ,..| , ,, 1... :,,,,! large 



glossy I, , , , ■ ■ , ■ i |, ., , , ,,l,long- 



lanceidiii, ,,,■;!■■. i- i, ,, .i', , .,.-i' ,• ,,!■!, i imrs in- 

 curved ^, rr:,1|,,,|., Il,i- I, ;,li,l |,:i,l' i . !:'"i |',ul.fS- 



mature. Burs very lart,^r. w it h |,,ii-. Lr.-in-hiiiL' >i,mi,'^. 

 and a thick, velvety linini.'. Nui Iiul', r i Imn AiiMiiriiii 

 Chestnut, sometimes very lar^r. sIhII dai-k iiiali,.i.'aii\ 

 brown, pubescent at tip, thick, tough and leathery: ker- 

 nel enclosed in a thin, tough and astringent skin : 

 quality variable from insipid, astringent to moderately 



432. Native wild Chestnuts. Nearly natural s 



sweet. The leaves remain on the trees until late in 

 autumn, but are more susceptible to the attacks of fungi 

 than the American and Japanese species. At least one 

 variegated and one cut-leaved variety are grown as orna- 

 mentals. This species is variously known as European, 

 French, Spanish and Italian Chestnut ( Castanea sativa ) , 



CHESTNUT 



and Sweet Chestnut of English writers. It is an inhabi- 

 tant of mountain forests in the temperate regions of 

 western Asia, Europe and north Afri<'a. Esteemed for 

 its nuts in Spain, Frann, and Italy, wliere they have con- 

 stituted an important arti.l,, ,,f f,,...l since an early day. 

 Introduced to the Unit. ,i Stat, s l.y Ir.-m'e Dupont, at Wil- 

 mington, Del., in lMi:i. tli,.iiL:li r.-./orded by Jefferson, 

 under the designation " I-"renc-h Chestnut," as grafted by 

 him on native Chestnut near Charlottesville ( Monticello ) , 

 Va., in 177.3. 



American Chestnut (C. Americana).— ¥'\g. 4?2. Atall, 

 straight, columnar tree, in forests reaching a height of 

 100 ft. and a diameter of 3 to 4 ft. ; when grown in the 



433 Japanese 



tX^) 



open, forming a low, round-topped head of slightly pen- 

 dulous branches. Leaves thinner than in Casianea sal- 

 iva, oblong-lanceolate, acute, long pointed at the apex, 

 coarsely serrate except toward the wedge-shaped base, 

 green and glabrous on both surfaces, changing to 

 bright, clear yellow late in autumn. The staminato 

 flowers open in June or July, after leaves have attained 

 full size, and exhale a sweet, heavy odor, disagreeable 

 I., many jicrsons, and sometimes causing symptoms of 

 111, I, \.r. The 2- or 3-flowered involucres of pistil- 

 iai., tl,,«.rs are on short, stout peduncles at the bases 

 (if ati.if,ig\-nous aments which bear toward their tips 

 scalti-red clusters of staminate flowers. Burs smaller 

 and spines sharper than in C. sativa. The nuts, usually 

 2 or 3, rarely 5 to 7, are usually broader than long, 

 and much compressed by crowding, though some- 

 times nearly oblong and approaching cylindrical. They 

 are of a bright brown color, covered at the apex with 

 thick, pale tomentum, which sometimes extends nearly 

 to the base of the nut. The nuts are sweet and agree- 

 able in flavor, the best among Chestnuts, and are 

 marketed in large quantities from the forests of the 

 Appalachian region, eastern North America, Me. to 

 Ga., westward to Michigan, Mississippi and Louisiana. 

 Grailutilly ri-ia'ding from its southern areas from causes 

 n.ii ■ ' I nil '- I i,„..l. A few selected forms have been 

 l.f,,;,,i ■, i' '. -i-afting. 



./ ' ',ii(t {C. crenala). — Fig. i33. A dwarf- 



i^li.,;. , 1,1 , I, .1 t fee of slender growth, said to attain 



with shallow, shar]!'[ , . 



tose beneath, pale iri, , n :,i,, , ■ , . i, - - n , -i i n) ''V 



fungi than other spci'ies. Burs small, with a thin, pa- 

 pery lining and short, widely branching spines. Nuts 

 large to very large, glossy, usually 3, sometimes 5 or 

 7 in a bur, usually infi-ri..r to flu- other Chestnuts 

 in quality, il,.,irjli :.- I v.' ■,,,,1,, ,1, 



eties 1 



cultura 

 I'd State 



Aside fn.ni Un.-i. iI.hl r, |.. .>. ihi r. ai. ii rtain dwarl 

 and small-fruited Castaiicas known as Chinquapins. The 

 two native Chinquapins may be contrasted as follows : 



