two
months after nut harvest is completed. This period between harvest and
leaf fall is undoubtedly an important factor in the annual bearing habit
of the chestnut in the Southeast since it permits the food reserves in
the tree to be replenished after the crop is mature. This is true under
favorable conditions but does not hold under conditions of crowding, low
soil fertility, or premature defoliation. For best growth and production
the tree should be in foliage approximately nine months out of the year.

+ORCHARD MANAGEMENT+

The planting of chestnut trees in the Southeast should be done as soon
as possible after the trees become dormant in the nursery. They should
be planted on fertile soil which is well drained but not subject to
serious drought injury. The Chinese chestnut cannot withstand a high
water table, or free standing water, but appears to be somewhat
resistant to drought injury when once well established. The chestnut
trees have not yet reached an age at which their largest potential size
has been attained, but trees of 50-foot spread have been observed. It
appears likely, then, that orchards should be planted at 50 to 60-foot
distances on the square, unless closer planting and subsequent thinning
is resorted to in order to build up high nut production per acre at an
earlier age of the orchard. Planting distances of 25 x 25 feet, 30 x 30
feet, 25 x 50 feet, and 30 x 60 feet are recommended for this reason,
but only if the orchardist will plan to thin the stand at 10 to 15 years
of orchard age and at later intervals as required. In no case should the
branches of adjacent trees be allowed to touch as under such conditions
competition between trees will reduce the yield per tree and nut size,
and induce alternate-year bearing.

In planting the young tree it is usually advisable to fill the hole in
which the tree is to be set with top soil, packing it firmly around the
roots as the hole is being filled. Usually no fertilizer is used at the
time of planting, although mixing about a handful of bone meal with the
soil around the roots has given a higher percentage of living trees and
has increased growth the first year. A shallow basin around the tree to
facilitate watering when necessary during the first growing season, or
the application of a mulch around the tree, or both, will be helpful in
obtaining a high percentage of living trees and good growth. Adding
water at the time of planting is good insurance t