markably vigorous. When the fungus finally advances into one of these ad- 
ventitious shoots, the same thing happens (on a smaller scale) which occur- 
red before, i. e., one or more new shoots arise at the base of the old advent- 
itious shoot, below the lesion. I have seen as many as four generations of 
such shoots, and in all probability, more can be found in some cases. Event- 
ually, however, as far as our experience goes at present, the whole clump dies 
out entirely. (Fig. 2.) 
There are several important considerations resulting from this situation: 
1. The continued development of these shoots gives the fungus a con- 
tinual fresh supply of food. As a result the fungus is kept alive and vigorous. 
A fresh supply of chestnut means prolonged life for the fungus, which can 
live only on chestnut. Rarely it occurs as a weak parasite on oak. 
2. The fact that the shoots often live long enough to bear nuts means 
that the chestnut will not be lost as a species, at least not for some time to 
come. What has happened, so far, is that it has been degraded from the 
position of a forest tree to that of a lowly forest shrub. 
3. The rapid multiplication of these basal shoots all over the natural 
range of the chestnut offers chances for bud variation or “bud sporting”, in 
the direction of blight resistance, so that the types of chestnut which are 
more resistant may develop in the future. 
Outlook for the future:—In recent years the basal shoots seem to live 
longer and get larger. This may be due to the fact that fewer spores of the 
fungus are now abroad for infection. Jt also may be due to a slow process 
of bud variation and natural selection; for, although 25 or 30 or even 40 
years is a very small amount of time when compared with all biological 
history, yet it may be long enough for us to perceive an appreciable effect. 
We should also bear in mind that a possibility of variation exists in the 
fungus itself. It may become less virulent as time goes on. 
What can be done to help:—For these reasons it is of the utmost import- 
ance for us to be continually on the lookout for vigorous and long-lived shoots. 
All nuts from such growth should be carefully collected and planted and the 
succeeding generation or generations watched. Any nuts sent to the Brooklyn 
Botanic Garden will be carefully planted and the resulting trees labelled with 
the name of the finder and the locality. We already have 76 such trees, from 
nuts coming from locations ranging from Asheville, North Carolina, to Port- 
land, Maine. The nuts should not be allowed to become dry before mailing. 
A few days in a heated room are apt to be fatal. They should be wrapped in 
moist cotton, paper napkins, or moss, immediately after gathering, and mailed 
to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000. Washington Avenue, Brooklyn, N. Y. 
REFERENCES 
a a F. and L. S. Gill—Chestnut blight. U. S. Dept. Agr. Farmer’s Bul. 1641 : 1-18, 
Graves, A. H.—The cause of the persistent development of basal shoots from blighted 
chestnut trees. Phytopathology 16: 615-621, 1926. 
