en doing
that for 30 years over in my part of the country. I planted these
chestnuts purposely in that grove where there was lots of blight. Out of
that hundred I have eight trees that are alive. The rest of them have
died from blight. They are bearing very nicely, but I haven't learned
how to care for those fruits so that they are good a long period of
time. Someone just told me that you had someone on the program this
morning who would tell us that. It is a very interesting subject for me.

And the Thomas walnut is a nice black walnut. The trees are a little bit
peculiar about their bearing; sometimes they bear heavily and again they
forget to bear. The Stabler doesn't bear at all for me. I just know they
are Stablers because someone told me so. I have them labeled. I have
Creitz black walnut. I got five from TVA four or five years ago, and
they just literally bear themselves to death. They're about so high and
bear every year, very nice nuts. I will have to pull the walnuts off
long enough to make them grow up and make real trees. I think they are
going to be all right.

Mr. Chairman, I am not an expert. I use my hobby to keep from bothering
about the troubles that I have with other things, and when I get mad at
a neighbor I go to playing on my trees, and it gets me well. I recommend
it as a very soothing hobby.

Now, some day we will make a business out of tree crops when we in
Tennessee get the bugs out of it and get them so we will have the right
varieties to produce. I am not satisfied with the Thomas. Someone
suggested it was a wonderful nut. I am not satisfied with it. We need a
better walnut than the Thomas. But it's the best I have.

There is a native walnut I found in the valley near Watts Bar Dam. I
named it Pineland. It is just a seedling. It is a most wonderful nut if
it wasn't for its hard shell. It's hard as the dickens. It is a
wonderful bearer, has borne every year for nine years. It happens to be
in unusually good soil. But I have grafted a few up away from the river,
and the grafted trees are bearing nicely. The trouble is it is hard, but
it is a wonderful good kernel and it is a big nut.

Groups like this working with tree crops and nuts over a period of time
will develop the right varieties, and if we can get some youngsters
interested--and I am in my county getting some youngsters interested in
grafting--and tell them not to expect too much but get a whole lot of
satisfaction out of the fun