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History of the European Chestnut 
The European chestnut, which is popu- 
larly called the “Spanish Chestnut,” was 
introduced into the United States, not for 
economic purposes, but by individuals 
who wished to determine its adaptability 
to their private estates. Nearly all of the 
varieties now in propagation are descend- 
ants from the French ‘‘Marrons,” and 
the appellation “Spanish” is an anomaly. 
New varieties are not being extensively 
introduced from Europe at present, but 
many persons have planted the nuts of 
the best naturalized kinds, like the Para- 
gon, hoping to discover among the vari- 
able progeny, seedlings that are super- 
ior to their parents. 
The earliest history of the European 
chestnut, in America, is hidden in ob- 
secure book notices, or in the note books 
of those who were interested in early 
American agriculture. 
The introductions that mark the be- 
ginning of the general dissemination 
around Wilmington and Philadelphia 
were those of Eleuthere Irenee du Pont 
de Nemours, who, with his family, emi- 
grated from France to America in 1799, 
and after a residence at Bergen Point, N. 
J., where he took much pleasure in prop- 
agating a number of Huropean seeds and 
plants received from France. It can be 
inferred from Mr. du Pont’s journals and 
correspondence, that he planted a num- 
ber of French chestnuts in his garden at 
Eleutherean Mills, Christiana Hundred, 
near Wilmington, Delaware, in the spring 
of 1803, and it is certain that a consid- 
erable number of trees became estab- 
lished and flourished there, some of which 
are still in existence. 
To many of his friends he sent nuts or 
scions from his famous French Marrons, 
and from these chestnuts a multitude of 
seedlings sprang up and are still stand- 
ing along the fence rows or in the gar- 
dens. 
A. few of these surviving seedlings, by 
attracting the attention of enterprising 
nurserymen, have thereby entered the 
variety ranks, but there are numbers that 
have long lain in obscurity, which, if 
introduced, might justly claim varietal 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
distinction. The history of the named 
varieties is much confused, for it is based, 
in many cases, on the uncertain memory 
of those who have been longest acquaint- 
ed with the trees. 
History of the Japanese Chestnut 
The development of the Japanese chest- 
nut in America is the outcome of the sys- 
tematic efforts of a number of nursery- 
men to introduce varieties from Japan, or 
to produce valuable seedlings from those 
already naturalized. 
In 1876, the 8S. B. Parsons Co., Flush- 
ing, N. Y., imported a few trees from 
Japan through the late Thomas Hogg. 
(Fuller). The trees, Mr. S. B. Parsons 
writes, were cultivated with no special 
care, but the large nuts soon attracted at- 
tention. The Parsons’ Japan was well 
known a few years ago, but at present 
no important varieties are cultivated 
from this importation. 
In 1882, the late William Parry, Parry, 
N. J., imported one thousand grafted 
trees from Japan, and from them a 
single tree, the Parry, was finally select- 
ed, and has since become the progenitor 
of more valuable kinds than any other 
Japanese chestnut. The Parry Bros., 
who succeeded William Parry, have se- 
lected a large number of seedlings of the 
Parry for commercial propagation. 
Luther Burbank, Santa Rosa, Cali- 
fornia, planted a box of the largest Jap- 
anese chestnuts sent him from his col- 
lector in Japan in 1886, and from over 
ten thousand bearing seedlings, after 
years of critical study and elimination, 
recently selected three as worthy of per- 
petuation—the Hale, the Coe, and the 
McFarland, now owned and propagated 
by J. H. Hale, South Glastonbury, Conn. 
The Lovett Company, Little Silver, N. 
J., were active, at about the same time, 
in introducing the type through import- 
ed trees and nuts, and from the trees 
sent out by them, several meritorious 
kinds have been named by J. W. Kerr, 
Denton, Maryland, and J. W. Killen, Fel- 
ton, Delaware. 
A number of other firms have been in- 
troducing and distributing the nuts, but 
nearly all of the named varieties can be 
