874 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
November 24, 
; Ruralisms • 
ITTT^ T T> 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Partial Crop of Chestnuts.— Hopes 
of a full yield of chestnuts were early 
dashed by the ravages of Rose beetles that 
clung in unusual number to the catkins, 
eating off the stamens from day to day 
as they appeared. The beetles were so 
numerous and voracious during the whole 
blooming period that there seemed little 
chance for pollination of the pistillate 
blooms, but a fair crop of nuts was borne 
by some trees, though others were shorn 
of all productiveness. The Rose beetle 
has not been considered a great menace 
to the chestnut, but observation shows 
they may seriously impair the chances of 
a crop. Chestnut weevils, both large and 
small, were also more abundant than in 
previous years. The nuts of nearly all 
Japan chestnut varieties contained grubs, 
and a few chinquapins were found to be 
affected for the first in this locality. Na¬ 
tive and European kinds were less infest¬ 
ed, Paragon, as usual, least of all. Our 
oldest Paragon tree stands in a poultry 
yard. The nuts have been promptly gath¬ 
ered each day during the seasons since 
it came into bearing six or seven years 
ago. Practically no wormy nuts have 
ever been found about this tree, certainly 
strongest, which has made a fine bushy 
head, produced a multitude of pistillate 
blooms. Many were pollinated with se¬ 
lected varieties of native European and 
Japan chestnuts, as well as with early rip¬ 
ening bush chinquapins. About 40 burs 
were allowed to mature, some of which 
were left uncovered at blooming time that 
tliev might be self-pollinated. All con¬ 
tained sound nuts, and no less than four 
burs of the lot fertilized with chestnut 
pollen developed two perfect nuts each. 
Average sized nuts are shown, together 
with average wild chinquapins in picture. 
It will be noted the Rush chinquapins are 
fullv as large as native chestnuts, and 
they are in addition thin-shelled and as 
sweet as the ordinary small kind, which 
is considered to be the best flavored of the 
entire chestnut family. The Rush chin- 
auapin was first described and illustrated 
in The R. N.-Y. for April 30, 1904. The 
original tree grows wild in Lancaster 
County, Pa., is over 40 feet high and bears 
heavy annual crops of fine nuts. Our 
trial indicates that this variety when 
propagated is even more precocious than 
the Paragon chestnut, and is probably 
equally liable to injury from overbearing 
when young. Our trees make good 
growth in very ordinary soil. The vari¬ 
ety has been claimed to be a natural hy¬ 
brid between the native chestnut and 
chinquapin, as it is very distinct in the 
size and color of the nuts, which are 
much lighter brown than the usual chin¬ 
quapins. The leaves also appear to have 
less of the silvery luster on the under- 
SEVEN IN A BUR. NATURAL SIZE. AN UNNAMED SEEDLING. 
none this season, while Japans, two rods 
away, but outside the poultry enclosure, 
are badly weeviled. Even making allow¬ 
ance for the greater resistance of Para¬ 
gon, which seems to be generally admitted, 
and the prompt gathering of nuts, it would 
appear that the presence of fowls had 
something to do with the immunity of 
this tree. We may imagine them picking 
up any chance weevils in the Spring that 
may have developed from premature 
chestnuts and wintered over in the soil, 
and it may be that the adult weevils are 
destroyed or driven away at their laying 
period, just as the Plum curculio is sup¬ 
posed to have less chance for existence 
in a poultry yard than elsewhere. Par¬ 
agon is not by any means immune to 
weevils, but surely is less affected than 
anv of the Japan kinds, under similar cir¬ 
cumstances. 
A Crowded Bur. —Seven good nuts in 
a bur is unusual, but not without par¬ 
allel among the productive Japans, as it 
has been more than once noted. The cut 
gives a good example, taken from a seed¬ 
ling tree unhonored and unnamed. The 
nuts were all sound and plump, but the 
quality is scarcely good enough for fur¬ 
ther consideration. The tree came early 
into bearing, and is extremely productive, 
most burs containing three good-sized 
nuts, many five, and the illustrated one 
had seven. 
The Rush Chinquapin.— Trees of this 
interesting large-fruited variety were ob¬ 
tained three years ago from the Florida 
Nut Nurseries Co., Monticello, Fla. Al¬ 
though they were only one year collar- 
grafts, less than three feet high when 
planted, thev have bloomed the first and 
each succeeding year. This season the 
surface, which is one of the botanical 
characteristics of the true chinquapin. 
The Bush Chinquapin appears to hy¬ 
bridize most readily with all chestnut 
species. We have under way seedlings 
pollinated from good varieties of all 
types, and they plainly show in habit, and 
foliage, their cross-bred character. None 
has yet fruited, but three-year bushes 
produced a few catkins this season. Para¬ 
gon chestnut crossed with chinquapin 
makes a low, stocky growth and bears 
staminate catkins at four years old, the 
leaves are also slightly silvery on the 
under surface instead of uniform green 
on both sides. Some of the chinquapin- 
japan chestnut hybrids have very dis¬ 
tinct crenate, almost rugose foliage, 
and are distinctly ornamental the second 
year of growth. The idea in breeding 
these varied forms together is to induce 
if possible excessive variation with the 
hope of combining in some measure in the 
immediate or future progeny the fine 
quality, dwarf growth and early cropping 
of the chinquapin with the large size of 
nut and greater hardiness of the chest¬ 
nuts. All desired qualities are seldom 
gained at once in plant breeding work. 
If they appear at all it is usually by slow 
and gradual development, and they are 
rarely combined in a single variety. 
The Double-flowered Baby’s Breath. 
—The well-known Baby’s Breath, Gypso- 
phila paniculata, has long been a favorite 
for the mistv effect of its innumerable 
minute single silvery-white flowers. It 
is regarded as indispensable abroad, 
where it is largely grown for cutting, 
making a fine addition to any naturally- 
arranged bunch of flowers. It is a ro¬ 
bust. hardv perennial plant, forming a 
mass of bloom in late Summer two or 
three feet high and broad. When cut the 
RUSH AND COMMON CHINQUAPINS. 
NATURAL SIZE. 
gauze-like effect renders it especially 
suitable for arranging with larger highly- 
colored flowers. A double-flowered form 
lately originated in Europe, and has been 
much exploited as superior to the old- 
fashioned single type. The flowers form 
very perfect little rosettes when exam¬ 
ined individually, but the effect in mass 
does not appear as dainty and ethereal as 
the old form, which well merits its sug¬ 
gestive popular name of “Baby’s Breath.” 
The plant also is disappointing as judged 
from a season’s growth in our trial 
grounds. The double blooms quickly be¬ 
come draggled and dingy in rainy weather. 
A limy soil is supposed to best suit the 
Baby’s Breath, but it grows well in any 
situation not too moist. Plants that should 
live many years may be had from all 
dealers in hardy plants at from 10 to 20 
cents each. It may also be grown from 
seeds, which are abundantly offered. 
Another Fine Hardy Plant.— Fig. 382, 
page 869, is somewhat reduced from a 
fine photograph of the double German 
catchflv. Lychnis Viscaria splendens flore 
pleno, as offered in nursery catalogues. 
It is a most desirable plant for moist 
and slightly shaded situations. It has a 
fine tufted habit with nearly evergreen 
foliage that often takes on bright Au¬ 
tumn colors in exposed places. The 
flowers are produced in great profusion 
during early Summer, and last a long 
time. The color is a light but bright 
shade of rosy pink that blends well with 
other flowers. They are useful for cut¬ 
ting, and highly decorative in the garden. 
Attempts to grow this fine herbaceous 
plant in poor, dry soil are quite likely to 
end in disappointment. Give it the rich¬ 
est and moistest place in the border, pro¬ 
vided water does not stand over it anv 
time of year, and you will be pleased 
with the beauty and richness of bloom. 
This double variety produces no seeds 
and is propagated 'by division. Plants 
cost about 15 cents each and are offered 
by most nurseries. w. v. F. 
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I J 
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