CHESTNUTS AND CHINQUAPINS 



"It seems as though every one should know 

 the chestnut's tall, column-like shaft, its dense 

 characteristic foliage, and its quaint fruit," 

 says Lounsberry. But alas ! the chestnut does 

 not venture much beyond the 44th parallel with- 

 out considerable encouragement, and even in the 

 latitude of New York it is a tree of the Valleys. 

 "It is not to be found in Adirondack or Cats- 

 kill woods," Miss Going tells us, "l)ut any one 

 traveling from Kaaterskill towards the Hudson 

 River will see it as the valley is approached." 



So let us go to the haunts of the chestnut, be 

 they near or far. And let us go in blossom^ 

 time, which will be when cherries are ripe. 

 Chestnut catkins have a heavy odor which is un- 

 pleasant to many people; but the flies, upon 

 whose kindly interests the future of the chestnut 

 realm depends, come in great numbers to revel 

 at the feast. We find them delving in the long, 

 creamy spines, fairly covering themselves with 

 yellow powder, and then rushing off with their 



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