THE CHESTNUT 



507 



Texas Prolific. Brought from Texas by Robert Williamson, of W. R. Strong 

 & Co., of Sacramento, about 1891, as a seedling originated at Dallas, and the 

 only almond which would bear there. Planted at Acampo by Robert Adams, 

 who had charge* of the company's nurseries at that place; fully discussed by 

 J. P. Dargitz, of Acampo, and described by the introducer as resembling Lan- 

 guedoc in tree and nut, but with softer shell, which is filled with very sweet 

 kernel. Blooms two weeks later than Drake. Mr. Dargitz reports fifteen 

 years without failure to bear and usually prolifically. 



_ Jordan Almond. This long, hard-shelled almond, notable because of its long, 

 slim kernel for "salted almonds" and imported at high cost for that purpose, has 

 been introduced both through government distribution and private enterprise, 

 notably that of the late. John Rock, of the California Nursery Co., of Niles. 

 Too little has yet been seen to determine the value of the variety in local 

 production. 



THE CHESTNUT 



The chestnut is not yet produced in large amount in Califor- 

 nia, and certain quantities of the nuts are annually imported, the 

 American, Italian, or Spanish and Japanese all being found in the 

 San Francisco markets. Of chestnuts grown in California, the 

 Italian predominates, and the Japanese is more common than the 

 American, which is slow of growth and late in fruiting, as com- 

 pared with the other kinds. Judging the success of the Italian, it 

 may be said that a large area of California is well suited for the 

 growth of the chestnut, as there are bearing trees in nearly all 

 parts of the State. The chestnut succeeds on heavy, clayey soil, 

 even if it be quite rocky. 



Chestnut trees are readily grown from the seed, and thus grown 

 come into bearing in from six to eight years, though the Japanese 

 sometimes bears sooner. The growth of chestnuts from the seed 

 is described in Chapter VIII. In growing from seed of the im- 

 proved varieties, there is a tendency toward reversion, and budding 

 and grafting may be resorted to; and can be done by the methods 

 described in the chapter on the fig. The chestnut can also be 

 grafted with the ordinary cleft graft. Buds or scions should be 

 taken from trees which are fruiting satisfactorily, and in this way 

 seedlings which have a tendency to bear empty burs can be turned 

 to good account. Chestnuts can, be grown in the nursery until 

 several years old, providing they are lifted at the end of the first 

 year, the taproot cut off, and the trees reset, giving them rather 

 more room than during their first year's growth. In permanent 

 plantings the trees should have plenty of room, as they ultimately 

 attain great size. Trees at Grass Valley, Nevada county, when 

 about twenty years old, fifteen inches in diameter of trunk, and 

 forty feet high, and reported to bear a barrel of nuts to the tree 

 regularly. Felix Gillet, of Nevada City, has for many years made 

 a specialty of propagating a large collection of the improved French 

 varieties of the chestnut, known as Marrons, which were distrib- 

 uted to some extent. The chestnut chiefly grown is the Italian 



