held with local people having an interest in this problem, and field 
examinations were made in the more important places where 
chestnut work was in progresS. Many persons helped in my work 
but space permits mention of only a few of them : Prof. A. Pavari, 
Dr. A. Biraghi, and Mr. Walter J. Quick, Jr. in Italy; Dr. Emil Hess 
and Dr. E. Gaumann in Switzerland; Mr.A.Chistodoulopoulos and 
Dr. C. Moulopoulos in Greece; Mr. Admed Berger and Dr. Refik 
Erdman in Turkey; Mr. Felipe J.M. Frazao and Dr. B. d’Oliveira 
in Portugal; Dr. C. Schad and Dr. H. Darpoux in France; and 
Dr. T.R. Peace in England. The local Economic Co-operation 
Administration officials and the Agricultural Attaches in the dif- 
ferent countries assisted in this project. Two unofficial trips were 
made into Spain to look into the threatening blight situation there. 
Dr. Miguel Ganuza and Mr.Elorrieta were very helpful on these trips. 
B. IMPORTANCE OF NATIVE CHESTNUT AND OAKS IN EUROPE 
4. Chestnut is unique in its yield of valuable food from rough 
land unsuited for cultivatiom. Maximum food production is vital 
to Europe with its rapidly expanding population. Even if the 
maximum volume of food is produced per acre, the total] will be in- 
sufficient to meet the pressing needs. The regularity of the chestnut 
crop year after year is unusual among trees. In addition to producing 
nuts, chestnut orchards usually are grazed. The dead branches are 
used for firewood and the older orchard trees, when they become un- 
productive or die, are used for fence posts, firewood, and tannin 
extract. Italy, for instance has 31 chestnut extract plants, producing 
most of the tannin used for making leather in that country. Europe 
should grow more chestnuts, not Jose all that it has. 
5. European chestnut is valuable as a forest tree, especially 
when managed on a short coppice rotation. The high yield of valu- 
able products, such as stakes, durable posts, handle and box stock, 
and basked material, makes the chestnut one of the most useful of 
forest trees. The older forest chestnut trees are useful for poles, 
lumber and extract wood. Many mountain communities depend on 
chestnut nuts and forest products for’: over’ “three-fourths of their 
economy, and the death of the chestnut will create many major 
problems. 
6. In Italy, three European species of oak, Quercus'sessiliflora, 
Q. pubescens, and Q. ilex, have been found infected by blight but 
how seriously they will be damaged cannot be forecast with any 
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