THE CHESTNUTS AMERICAN CHESTNUT. 83 



INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



There are many species of curculio that infest the chestnut; in portions of 

 Tennessee these are so numerous as to ruin almost the entire crop of nuts. Also in 

 large areas of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia these insects ruin the bulk of the 

 crop of chinkapins and greatly injure the chestnut. The only remedial check thus far 

 found is the scalding described above. 



CHOICE VARIETIES. 



Special effort has been made to secure from each correspondent specimens of 

 the best nuts known to him. In each case the sender was requested to mark the 

 tree from which specimens were sent, that there might exist no doubt of identifica- 

 tion for purpose of propagation. We are satisfied that the search so made was by 

 no means an exhaustive one, though as thorough as could be made under attending 

 circumstances. To encourage more careful notice of the wild nuts, and to secure 

 efforts at propagation of the best, we give somewhat extended space to the report 

 of the more promising chestnuts recorded at this office. 



NOTES FROM CORRESPONDENTS. 



Thomas Brigden, South Lowell, Ala. : " Found two trees with much larger nuts 

 and at least two weeks earlier than usual." 



Benjamin E. Townsend, Wallingford, Conn. : " I have seen some very large chest- 

 nuts, two-thirds to three-fourths of the size of those imported." 



George W. Endicott, Villa Ridge, 111.: "Some of mine are from the wild chestnut, 

 and are very fine and large." 



John B. Lewis, Eubanks, Ky. : "I have one tree which bears nuts nearly as large 

 again as ordinary ones." 



James S. Harris, Still Pond, Md. : " I have some abundant bearers and some that 

 bear smaller crops of large nuts." 



B. Hathaway, Little Prairie Ronde, Mich.: "Among my 100 bearing trees I find 

 many bearing much larger nuts than those of the wild type. One of these I have 

 grafted, and have perhaps 20 trees of this sort 2 or 3 years old." 



Daniel W. Babcock, Dansville, N". Y. : "I have one tree about 20 years old, very 

 productive, with very large nuts. I have some seedlings from this, but not in bearing." 



J. E. Hawkins, Mountainville, N. T. : "I have some specially early; others large 

 in size and some of peculiar shape. The finer sorts bear more sparingly. Some early 

 ones are very prolific. Those in the forest bear only on top, in very limited quantity." 



E. L. Eoser, Brittain, Ohio: "On one of my trees the nuts are a great deal larger 

 than on any other; I have noticed it for ten years." 



Samuel Eau, Columbiana, Ohio: "There are some very choice nuts on adjoining 

 lands large to very large." 



William Pryor, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio : " I have some very large and delicious 

 ones in flavor; others very early in ripening." 



George J. Streator, Garrettsville, Ohio: "I have a few fine varieties well worthy 

 of cultivation." 



William King, Newton Falls, Ohio: "Some of mine have larger nuts than others 

 and many more in the bur." 



George T. Ealston, Freeport, Pa.: "I have one large, sweet nut; it is as large as 

 any of the cultivated ones." 



George W. Oster, Ostcrburg, Pa. : " There are two trees in this vicinity that bear 

 more than ordinarily fine nuts; large and sweet." 



F. L. Hartford, Sterling, Pa. : "I have one tree, the nuts of which are three times 

 as large and of better flavor than others near it." 



