Tree

The first varietal selections were made in 1930. Quite unavoidably they
were chosen solely by what could be judged from the nuts with no
knowledge of the bearing habits of the parent trees. These were first
grafted in 1932 and first catalogued in 1935. Already by 1946, some had
been supplanted by others of greater promise. Few grafted trees have
been brought into bearing and with minor exceptions, it has not been
possible to obtain bearing records. It is, however, mainly with the
grafted tree that the future of the industry is expected to be built up.

Individual Varieties--Abundance

This variety was first catalogued in 1941 by Carroll D. Bush, then a
nurseryman at Eagle Creek, Oregon. Of the very few trees of this variety
sold by him, one went to Mr. Fayette Etter, Lemasters, Penna., with whom
it early became a favorite among 7 or 8 he had under test. During 1945,
he sent a quantity of Abundance chestnuts to Dr. J. Russell Smith,
Swarthmore, Penna., who in turn forwarded 12 specimens to the Plant
Industry Station. These arrived October 11 and were immediately placed
in a refrigerator. On October 22, they averaged 50 to the pound and
ranged from 38 to 76. The appearance was very attractive as the color
was a rich brown and there was very little down over the surface. The
cleaning quality was also very good and the flavor excellent.

The Abundance has attracted considerable attention and, while it does
not appear to be listed in any nursery catalogue, a number of leading
growers are using it in top working seedling trees and it may soon be
available through regular nursery channels.

Carr

The Carr chestnut originated as one of two seedlings sent by the
Department of Agriculture in 1915 to the late R. D. Carr, Magnolia, N.
C. Sixty-two nuts from Mr. Carr were received by the Department in 1930.
These were not especially attractive as the surface was thickly coated
with gray down. The lot averaged 58 per pound and the nuts were
considered large. Cleaning quality was very good and the flavor was
sweet and pleasing. The variety was immediately named in honor of Mr.
Carr although propagation did not begin until 1932. It is believed to
have been the first variety of the species ever grafted in this country.
The work was performed by H. F. Stoke, Roanoke, Va. Later the Carr
became available for several years from a number of nurseries. It was a
strong grower but often failed to make good unions with its stock