THE CHESTNUTS AMERICAN CHESTNUT. 79 



lack of simultaneous blooming of the staminate and pistillate blossoms, or to an 

 inability of some trees to produce fruit except by cross fertilization. 



The largest yields reported are from scattered trees in pastures or open fields 

 not far removed from other chestnut trees. Trees producing large quantities of nuts 

 are usually found to have several nuts in a bur, sometimes as many as five to seven, 

 while less productive trees yield but two or three and sometimes ouly one nut to 

 the bur. These traits are found to be reasonably constant, and are worthy of attention 

 when selecting trees from which to propagate. 



There is a general impression that the larger nuts of the American species are 

 not abundant croppers; but it will be seen under the heading of "Choice wild nuts" 

 that there are wild nuts large in size, of excellent flavor, that are heavy bearers, 

 and that of these some are persistent annual bearers. 



GENERAL INTEREST IN CHESTNUT CULTURE. 



The number of trees in cultivation is increasing every year. Replies to our 

 inquiries were not full enough to form any basis of enumeration of the trees already 

 planted, but they afford evidence of a growing interest in orchard culture of this 

 tree. California reports orchards of 200 to 300 trees, generally the Japanese and 

 European varieties. Orchards of from 100 to 300 trees are also reported in Delaware, 

 southern Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. Charles 

 Parry, of Parry, N. J., has 1,000 grafted trees. Of small plantings, ranging from 

 1 to 25 trees, there are numerous reports from all sections. 



H. M. Engle, Marietta, Pa., says: "Talk about nut culture when they grow wild 

 and take care of themselves! So did apples, pears, peaches, cherries, and all other 

 fruits at some period in the past, and it was only by selection of the fittest that we 

 now have so many varieties of such excellent fruits. What has been done in this 

 line with fruits may be accomplished with nuts. The great progress in chestnut 

 culture will be by a different method, viz : The hillsides and mountain slopes of chestnut 

 timber will be cut and a proper proportion of the sprouts grafted with choice varieties, 

 and all the rest of the sprouts and underbrush destroyed. By such method, chestnut 

 groves will be established without planting, and by their rapid growth will make 

 bearing trees in a comparatively short time. This plan is not altogether speculative 

 since four to five years of practical work of this kind justifies me in making such 

 statements and, if I am not mistaken, the boom in chestnut culture will be by such 

 methods." 



Prof. William A. Buckhout says : l "In the diversification of industries which is 

 now deservedly attracting so much thought and attention, the increase of our plants 

 for cultivation should find a place, and of cultivated plants the nut-producing trees 

 are among the most promising. Nuts have a hig~her nutritive value generally than 

 have those fruits which are made up of the fleshy coverings of the seed, as in the 

 apple, peach, etc. They are rather of the nature of staple articles of diet, and 

 approach the grains in food value. They are, moreover, not of the perishable class, 

 and are easily handled with little waste and risk. While all the nut trees are 

 probably capable of improvement, and each has adaptation to its particular situation, 

 the one most promising for Pennsylvania is the chestnut." To some extent it can 

 and has been grown in places where it is not native, and in soils not of light and 

 gravelly nature, but generally imperfectly and with difficulty, and the trees have 

 been sterile, or at least irregular and uncertain in fruitage. It has been noticed 

 that near the borders of the area in which this tree is native it is quite liable to be 

 barren and to attain a meager size and development. The larger size, dwarf habit, 

 and early fruitfulness of the Japanese chestnuts give them special value, and if they 

 can be worked upon stocks of the American species we can secure trees that will 



'Bulletin No. 16 of the Pennsylvania Agricultural Experiment Station. 



