Chinese Chestnuts. I am enthusiastic about Chinese chestnuts as a nut substitute for our old native chestnuts. The Chinese are quite blight resistant. They are attacked by the blight fungus—at least most individuals suffer at some time in their lives, and yet the fungus doesn't thrive and the trees are able to overcome its attacks, in many cases forming a healing wound callus around the lesions; in others the lesion becomes simply a granular mass in which the fungus appears to be living only in the outer bark. Cultivation, fertilization, and judicious pruning certainly help these trees to withstand these fungus attacks. We harvested a bumper crop last year and this from trees given us in 1929 by the Division of Forest Pathology, U.S.D.A.
Fig. 2.—Close-up of lower part of tree in fig. 1, showing inarched basal shoots which at the beginning were as slender as the leafless shoot now showing on right side, below, coming from base of trunk. Note exposed dead part of trunk showing old canker disease. Photo Sept. 13, 1947, by Louis Buhle.
Public Interest in the Problem. Last fall, September 1946, in an article in the Yankee Magazine, I asked for nuts and pollen of the American chestnut. As a result the following persons from many different parts of the country sent in nuts: Mr. Henry Hartung, Methuen, Mass.; Mrs. Marie Garlichs, Brooklyn, from Lake Minnewaska, N. Y.; Mr. Charles Ericson, Brooklyn, nuts from Staten Island, N. Y.; Mrs. Jay B. Nash, N. Y. City, from Lake Sebago, Sloatsburg, N. Y.; Mr. H. W. Donnelly, Tacoma, Wash.; Mr. George M. Hindmarsh, Kent County, R. I.; Mrs. Steiner, Niota, Tenn.; Miss Marjorie Bacon, New Haven, Conn. from Litchfield, Conn. through Dr. Edgar Heermance; Mr. Harold E. Willmott, Bethel, Conn.; Mr. W. F. Jacobs, Tallahassee, Fla. (Castanea crenata); Mr. P. P. Pirone, New Brunswick, N. J. (C. crenata); Mr. Morton F. Sweet, Seattle, Wash. (C. sativa), nuts, and scions in March '47; Mr. John I. Shafer, Sparta, Tenn. This lists shows not only the widespread interest in the subject but also that the chestnut sprouts are still bearing nuts. In some cases the nuts were "blind," i.e. sterile, containing no kernel or embryo. In order to develop a good nut there must be two chestnut trees within a reasonable distance of each other so that cross fertilization may take place. Isolated trees will usually not bear nuts. In other words, the chestnut is usually self sterile. We are still planting all nuts received, labeled with the name and address of the sender. The resulting trees are being set out in the Yale Forest in Tolland and Windham Counties, Conn. under the direction of Mr. Basil Plusnin, Forester in charge. Thus the possibility is being explored of the existence of blight resistant strains of the American chestnut. When nuts are sent they should be mailed within a few days after harvesting and wrapped in moist cotton, peat moss or something similar. Drying of the nut kills the embryo so that it will no longer germinate. Nuts should be mailed to me at Chestnut Plantations, Wallingford, Conn.
Pollen of the American chestnut is getting scarce. After scouring the vicinity of Hamden, Conn. this summer, we found a good supply at Bethany, Conn. from native shoots. The following persons also sent us American pollen, for which we are indeed grateful: Mr. George Gilmer, Charlottesville, Va.; Mrs. M. E. Garlichs, Lake Minnewaska, N. Y.; Mr. Alfred Szego, Pine Plains, N. Y.; Mr. Seward Pauley, Sumerco, W. Va.; and Mr. Charles W. Mann, Fennville, Mich. To ship the pollen it is necessary only to wrap small branches bearing the catkins in oiled paper and mail to me, preferably by air mail. The catkins should be ripe, i.e. shedding the pollen.
Acknowledgments. It is a pleasure to have this opportunity to express our appreciation of the cooperation of the above mentioned persons. The interest of these and many other persons and institutions is encouraging. During 1946 and 1947 this project has been sponsored by the Connecticut Geological and Natural History Survey, and we have as usual enjoyed the cordial cooperation of the Division of Forest Pathology, U.S.D.A. Dept. of Agriculture.
Beginning as of October 1, 1947, the work is also being sponsored by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven, Conn. On July 1 I retired from my position as Curator of Public Instructor at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and shall now be able to devote my entire time to the chestnut work. My permanent address will be: Chestnut Plantations, Wallingford, Conn.