298 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXXVIII. No. 974 



A subsequent shipment of the diseased mate- 

 rial, consisting of bark and diseased branches 

 of the tree, a few mature burrs, and nuts, was 

 received July 23, 1913, and on August 11 a 

 number of convincing photographs of the dis- 

 eased chestnut tree. Full botanical material 

 Yehol and have been busy for several days col- 

 lecting specimens of this bad chestnut bark dis- 

 ease and taking photos of same. It seems that 

 this Chinese fungus is apparently the same as the 

 one that kills off the chestnut trees in northeast 

 America. I hope to send a cablegram through 

 the American legation at Peking about this dis- 

 covery to the Secretary of Agriculture. I am 

 also enclosing a small piece of bark with this 

 fimgus on it. More material I hope to send ofC 

 from Tientsin and Peking. Here are my main 

 observations : 



This blight does not by far do as much damage 

 ■ to Chinese chestnut trees as to the American ones. 



Not a single tree could be found which had been 

 killed entirely by this disease, although there 

 might have been such trees which had been re- 

 moved by the ever active and economic Chinese 

 farmers. 



Dead limbs, however, were often seen and many 

 a saw wound showed where limbs had been re- 

 moved. 



Toung trees and trees on level, poor soil were 

 much more severely attacked than old trees or 

 trees growing on richer, sloping soil at the base 

 of roeks and hills. . . . The wounds on the bigger 

 majority of the trees were in the process of heal- 

 ing over. 



The Chinese farmers ascribe this disease to the 

 working of caterpillars, grubs and ants, which are 

 very freely found beneath the bark on these dis- 

 eased spots on the main trunks and branches. 



To combat the disease they scrape the bark clean 

 every winter or early spring. The strips of bark 

 are all collected, tied up in bundles and sold as 

 fuel. 



This Chinese chestnut does not grow to such 

 sizes as tfie American one. Trees over 40 feet are 

 rare. They are of low-branching habits with open 

 heads, more or less in the way of the European 

 chestnut {Castanea vesca). 



The lumber is hard, but even a good-sized tree 

 produces relatively little good lumber. 



Old wounds are to be observed here and there 

 on ancient trees. 



The maximum age of this Chinese chestnut as 

 seen in its native habitat seems to be between 250 



for identification of this particular species 

 which Mr. Meyer has been asked to get has not 

 yet arrived, and the burrs do not agree with 

 the description of Gastanea molUssima Blume. 

 This species according to the identification of 

 the Arnold Arboretum authorities was collected 

 by Mr. Meyer in the Pang shan region in 1907, 

 and is now growing in this country under 

 our S. P. I. number 21875. The region 

 where Mr. Meyer discovered the disease is 

 very close to the locality in the Pang shan 

 region where he collected the nuts of Castanea 

 molUssima in 1907, but it is impossible at this 

 writing to determine with certainty the iden- 

 tity ef this partially resistant Chinese species 

 from San tun ying. This whole question will 

 be discussed in a subsequent paper. 



Those better qualified, Messrs. Shear and 

 Stevens, are describing in this same number of 

 Science the various steps taken by them in 

 corroborating Meyer's discovery of the pres- 

 ence of the disease in China. It is interesting 



and 300 years, but when that old they are already 

 in decay. 



The tree is not a fast grower and does not begin 

 to bear until 12 to 15 years old. 



The soil best suited to these chestnuts is a warm, 

 well decomposed granite, with perfect drainage, 

 while as locality they love the lower slopes of hills 

 and mountains, where they are well sheltered. 



The valleys and ravines in the lower altitudes of 

 the Rocky Mountain regions would probably sup- 

 ply congenial localities for these chestnuts. 



This northern Chinese chestnut is not a lumber 

 tree, but attempts might be made to cross it with 

 the American species, trying to give the last one 

 more hardiness and resistancy against disease. 



The nuts of this Chinese chestnut are not as 

 large as those from the European and Japanese 

 forms, but they are very sweet and are in great 

 demand in China. 



The great chestnut district of north China lies 

 in the mountain valleys between the town of San 

 tun ying and the Great Chinese Wall, 4 to 5 days' 

 journey by carts from Peking to the northeast 

 or 1 J to 2 days' journey by carts from the rail- 

 road station Tang shan on the railroad from 

 Tientsin to Shan hai kwan. Most of the trees 

 seen seem to be original growth, but also planta- 

 tions have been made at the foot of the mountains 

 and hiUs. ... 



