1936 
ling, packing and transporting them. Notwithstanding these difficul- 
ties, it is believed that the securing of quantities of seeds and pro- 
ducing seedlings in quantity from them is entirely practicable. Ow- 
ing to the danger of further spreading the blight fungus, the seed- 
lings would necessarily have to be grown and distributed within the 
range of our American species. 
The Chinese tree does not appear especially vigorous nor does it 
attain large size, seldom, if ever, reaching a height of more than 40 
feet. Preliminary studies of the wood, leaves and bark of this chest- 
nut point to the fact that the tannin content is comparatively low. 
Further work must be done on this problem, however, before definite 
conclusions can be reached. In the event that it is found that the 
wood contains sufficient tannin to warrant utilization of the materi- 
al for tanning purposes, it might be practicable to plant the trees 
thickly and handle them under the coppice plan. From the manner in 
which the Chinese hairy chestnut grows in thickly planted orchards, 
it would seem that it might lend itself to coppice culture. From the 
data secured by Frank N. Meyer and others who have visited the Chinese 
section where Castanea molli$sima grows, it appears that there are many forms 
there worthy of study. The tree evidently has been under cultivation 
by the Chinese for a long time, and the nuts collected and sent to us 
have varied greatly in size and quality. It would seem well worth 
while to continue studies of this interesting plant, both as a pos- 
sible immigrant that will in future supply us with a very desirable 
food product and also as a possible source of tannin material. 
B. T. Galloway. 
