476 Transactions of the American Institute. 



The Horse-chestnut. 



J. A. Whitney, Natick, Mass., stated that he had tried, without 

 success, to propagate this tree from seed. Should the shell of the 

 nut be opened before planting, and when is the best time to plant ? 



Mr. Fuller — Horse-chestnuts, although large and coarse seed, are 

 very delicate, and it requires considerable care to keep them safely 

 through winter. If they are spread thickly upon the surface of the 

 ground and then covered with leaves or straw, just enough to keep 

 them from drying, they will usually be in a good condition for plant- 

 ing in spring. The husks should be removed from the nuts ; in fact, 

 it will come off as soon as the nuts are fully ripe and dry in fall. If 

 the nuts are allowed to become so dry as to shrink they mould, and 

 if kept wet and warm they rot. Therefore, the proper condition to 

 preserve vitality is cold and moisture combined. I have kept them 

 through winter in pure sand placed in a box, then set it in the open 

 air. In spring sow in drills, not covering the nuts with more than 

 one inch of soil. 



The Alia.nthus. 



Mr. W. E. Kibbee, of Kansas, asked in regard to the alianthus, 

 which, he says, grows very rapidly in his State. Is it worth cultivat- 

 ing ; is it a durable timber; had he better plant a large grove of it ? 



Mr. A. S. Fuller — Alianthus seed grow so readily that there is 

 little need of any preparation. If the seed have been kept dry all 

 winter it may be necessary to soak them in warm water for a few 

 hours before sowing. They should be sown early in spring and 

 not covered very deep — a half inch in depth is sufficient. The alian- 

 thus has a few good qualities, but many bad ones. Among the most 

 prominent are, first, the large trees are liable to be broken down in 

 summer by strong winds, as the branches are very brittle ; second, 

 if the trees are cultivated, every broken root will produce more or 

 less suckers, which are not desirable either in a forest or orchard ; 

 third, the staminate flowers exhale a most nauseous fragrance, and, 

 although this does not continue many weeks, still, where the trees 

 are abundant, one is reminded that the common Chinese name, " Tree 

 of Heaven," is sadly misplaced ; fourth, the tree grows rapidly 

 while young but seldom attains a great size, not even large enough for 

 railroad ties. The timber is valuable for fuel, posts and stakes; but 

 there are so many native species of trees possessing more desirable 

 qualities, which will flourish equally well on the prairies, that I 

 would not recommend the alianthus. 



