iehl varieties, the fruit of which combines
the size of the Japanese with the quality of the American parent; and
the late E. A. Riehl of Godfrey, who for over 30 years, until his death
in 1925, carried on experimental work in nut culture, originating, among
others, the Fuller and Gibbens chestnuts, superior late and early
varieties. Both Mr. Endicott and Mr. Riehl planted the better varieties
in orchard form and found the undertaking a very profitable one.

The third large orchard planting in Illinois is located at Farina and
owned by the Whitford family. Here the soil type is less favorable for
chestnuts and the water drainage is not of the best, but in spite of
these disadvantages, the trees are productive.

These orchards, with other smaller plantings in the state, came into
full bearing at about the time of the gradual failure of the eastern
crops and have made money for their owners, especially where attention
was paid to sizing the nuts and to other advanced marketing practices.

During the past twenty years, interest in chestnut culture in Illinois
has been increasing gradually. Many plantings of the improved varieties
have been made in widely scattered localities. Through the co-operation
of Mr. P. A. Glenn, of the State Nursery Inspection Service, a survey of
Illinois has been begun to locate all the chestnut trees in the state.
By the fall of 1934, with about one-third of the counties surveyed, a
total of 7,601 chestnut trees has been found, approximately one-half of
which are of bearing and one-half non-bearing age. This latter group
includes nursery stock and newly planted young trees mostly of named
varieties.

In a preliminary study of the approximately 3,700 trees of bearing age,
a number of facts of interest were noted. Nearly all these chestnuts
were of the named varieties, the plantings ranging in size from 1 to 800
individuals and in age from 5 to 40 years. Most of them were planted in
orchard form and given some attention as to cultural needs. However,
there were over 400 older trees averaging from 50 to 60 years with five,
80 years of age and three reported to be 130 years old.

These older trees are in poor condition as a rule, with many dead tops
and branches and hollow trunks, but still struggling for life and
producing some nuts. Very little care had been given them. They were
found along the roadside, in pastures, in the yard about the home, in
rows bordering an orchard. Some of these olde