296 



CHESTNUT 



CHESTNUT 



The varieties of the three species, though possessing 

 many points in common, differ sufficiently in important 

 .characteristics to justify separate grouping for cultural 

 discussion. As Chestnut culture is new in this country, 

 it seems best to append descriptions of all the varieties 



435. Chestnut sprouts two years grafted. 

 The eion was inserted where branching begins. 



which are in the American trade. For fuller discussion 

 of cultivated Chestnuts, see Nut Culture in the United 

 States (Bull. Div. of Pomology, U. S. Dept. of Agric.), 

 from which Pig. 434 is adapted ; Nut Culturist, A. 8. 

 Fuller, 1896 ; European and Japanese Chestnuts in 

 Eastern U. S., G. Harold Powell (Bull. Del. Exp. Sta- 

 tion), 1898; Nut Culture for Profit, Jno. R. Parry, 1897. 



AMERICAN GROUP. Though the wild nuts exhibit wide varia- 

 tions in size, form, quality, productiveness, and season of ripen- 

 ing, but few varieties have been dignified by names and propa- 

 gated. Solitary trees are frequently sterile, though producing 

 both staminate and pistillate flowers, apparently requiring 

 cross-fertilization to insure f ruitf ulness . This is especially true 

 of planted trees of this species on the Pacific slope, where pro- 

 ductive trees are reported to be rare. The susceptibility of the 

 species to injury by leaf diseases, as pointed out by Powell, and 

 the injury to nuts by larvaa of weevils, are drawbacks to its ex- 

 tensive culture. 



The following varieties are propagated to some extent : 



Dulaney. Bowling Green, Ky. Large, and of fine quality. 

 Original tree productive, though isolated. 



Griffin. Griffin, Ga. A large,very downy nut, of good quality. 



Hathaway. Little Prairie Ronde, Mich. A large, light 

 colored, sweet nut, annually productive, frequently having 5 to 

 7 nuts to the bur. 



Ketcham. Mountainville, N. Y. Above medium in size, ob- 

 long, tomentose, sweet. Tree productive and. vigorous in heavy 

 sod at 50 years of age. 



Murrell. Coleman's Falls, Va. A large, high flavored nut, 

 bearing 3 nuts to the bur. 



Otto. Otto, Teun. Large, oblong, very downy at tip, very 

 sweet, and rich. 



Watson. Fay, Pa. Medium to large, slightly downy, com- 

 pressed, very good. 



EUROPEAN GROUP. It is a significant fact that, during the 

 century that has elapsed since the introduction of this species, 

 the imported named varieties of Europe have not found favor 

 in eastern America. Seedling trees have been found produc- 

 tive and profitable at many points in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, 

 Delaware, and Maryland, however, and these form the basis of 

 the culture of the species east of the continental divide. West 

 of the Rocky mountains, several of the choice French " Mar- 



rons" are reported to succeed in California and Oregon. Among 

 the more important varieties of the European group in America, 

 are tne following : 



Anderson. Flushing, N. J. Bxir medium to small; nuts of 

 medium size, bright reddish brown, pubescent at the tip and 

 over half of the nut. Tree a strong grower, with medium to 

 small leathery leaves. Very productive. 



Bartram. Milltown, Pa. Bur medium to small ; nut medium, 

 thickly pubescent at tip, dark, reddish mahogany color; 3 in a 

 bur ; unusTially free from insect attack ; quality good. Tree 

 vigorous, spreading, with large leaves; productive. 



Chalon (syn., Marron Chalon Early). France. Sparingly 

 grown in California. Nut of medium size, early, productive, 

 precocious. 



Combale (Marron Combale). France. A large and handsome, 

 bright brown striped nut, with but little tomentum at tip ; usu- 

 ally 2, sometimes but 1, in a bur. Somewhat grown in Cali- 

 fornia, where it was introduced from France about 1870. 



Corson. Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Bur large, with thin husk; 

 nuts large, usually 3 in a bur ; dark brown, ridged, heavily 

 pubescent at tip; quality very good. Tree vigorous, spreading, 

 very prodiictive. 



Dager. Camden, Delaware. Bur medium ; nut medium to 

 large, dark brown, thickly tomentose, usually 3 in a bur ; 

 quality good. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive; a seedling 

 of Ridgely. 



Darlington. Wilmington, Del. Bur medium to small: nut 

 medium to large, usually 3 in a bur ; dark distinctly striped, 

 thickly tomentose at tip ; sweet, good. Tree vigorous. One of 

 the earliest to ripen of this group. 



Lyon (Marron de Lyon) .France. A large, round nut of fair 

 quality, grown in a small way in California, but less productive 

 than Combale, which it resembles. 



Marron. This term is used by the French to designate the 

 larger cultivated Chestnuts, most of which have relatively few 

 nuts, often only 1 in a bur. 



Moncur. Dover, Del. A seedling of Ridgely. Bur medium; 

 nuts medium, of light color, heavily tomentose; tree vigorous, 

 spreading, very productive. 



Nouzillard. France. A large, handsome variety from cen- 

 tral France, and there considered very productive and valuable. 

 Has been tested in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and California, 

 without marked success in any locality. 



Numbo. Morrisville, Pa. (Fig. 11, PI. 14.) Bur medium, 

 conical ; nut large, from 2 to 3 in a bur : bright brown, 

 striped, thinly tomentose, of good quality. Tree compact and 

 drooping ; rather uncertain in bearing. 



Paragon (syn., Great American) . Germantown, Philadel- 

 phia, Pa. Bur very large; nut large, usually 3 in a bur, broad, 

 plump, thickly tomentose at the tip, and thinly over two-thirds 

 of surface, color dull brown, quality very good. Tree hardy, 

 spreading, vigorous, with narrow, coarsely serrate leaves hav- 

 ing a narrow base; subject to leaf blight, but very productive. 

 The most widely planted and most uniformly successful variety 

 of Chestnut yet cultivated in the United States. Possibly a 

 hybrid with C. dentata. Fig. (photo) 4-yr. grafted tree in fruit. 

 Mich. 



Quercy (syn., Marron Quercy). France. A beautiful, me- 

 dium sized nut, commended in portions of California for pre- 

 cocity, earliness, productiveness and quality. 



Ridgely (syn., Du Pont). Wilmington, Del. Bur medium ; 

 nut medium to large, moderately tomentose, dark, of very good 

 quality; tree vigorous, with narrow leaves free from blight; 

 spreading, very productive, hardy. (Fig. 12, PI. 14.) 



Scott. Burlington, N. J. Bur medium ; nut medium, slightly 

 pointed, usually 3 in a bur ; glossy, dark brown, slightly 

 tomentose at the tip. Tree open, spreading, very productive; 

 said to be comparatively free from attacks of weevil. 



Styer. Concordville, Pa. Bur medium; nut medium pointed, 

 dark brown, striped, tomentose at tip, 1 to 3 in a bur. Tree 

 very vigorous, upright, with large, dark green leaves free from 



JAPANESE GROUP. Though most of the imported Japanese 

 Chestnuts have been found of poor quality for eating in the 

 fresh state, the product of many imported seedling trees, and of 

 a number of American -grown seedlings of this type, is equal to 

 the European nut in flavor. The Japanese varieties in general 

 have the advantage, also, of greater precocity and productive- 

 ness, larger size and earlier maturity of nut, greater freedom 

 from injury 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. The most important 

 named varieties are as follows : 



Alpha. New Jersey. Bur medium; nuts medium to large, 

 generally 3 in a bur, dark, of fair quality, ripening very early. 

 Tree upright, very vigorous and productive. 



Beta. New Jersey. Bur small; nut medium, light brown, 

 smooth, slightly tomentose at tip: good; ripening just after 

 Alpha. 



Biddle.^QVf Jersey. First fruited in Maryland. Bur me- 

 dium; nut large, bright brown, broad, rather thickly tomen- 

 tose, 2 to 5 in a bur ; of medium season and fair quality. 

 Tree regular, round-headed, vigorous. 



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

 Maryland. Bur large ; nut medium to large ; 3 to 7 in 

 bur, consequently irregular in shape ; dark brown, slightly 



