86 THE NUT CULTURIST. 



perience, and not attempting to guess what might have 

 been the results under more favorable conditions. In 

 the meantime, however, I had seen a few trees of the 

 Japan chestnut bearing on Long Island, and had re- 

 ceived specimens of the Numbo and Paragon, two now 

 well-known and superior varieties of the European spe- 

 cies, although raised in this country. These varieties 

 were secured, and succeeded so well that I have contin- 

 ued to add others from time to time, or as soon as trees 

 or cions were obtainable. 



The success which appears to have attended the 

 propagation and dissemination of these two varieties of 

 European parentage has awakened considerable interest 

 in chestnut culture, besides attracting the attention of 

 those interested in such matters to the fact that there 

 are many old trees of the same or similar origin scattered 

 about the country, awaiting the coming nut culturist to 

 propagate them and make known their merits. 



It may be well, before leaving this subject, to re- 

 mind the novice in chestnut culture that seedlings of 

 these hardy and productive descendants of the European 

 species will not come true from the nut or seed, and 

 while it will be admitted that the chances are somewhat 

 better for procuring a hardy variety from such nuts 

 than from those imported, still, there is no certainty of 

 any considerable number being equal in hardiness or 

 other respects to the parent tree. There is an inherent 

 tendency, in tree seedlings of all kinds, to revert to the 

 wild form or type, and the chestnut is no exception to 

 this rule. 



Species of Chestnut. — What is called a "species," 

 among plants, is a particular form or type supposed to 

 have descended from one original stock, whether this 

 was composed of one or more individuals. But varia- 

 tions doubtless occurred at the first inception or multi- 

 plication of the original, but so long as the offsprings do 



