lace). Their chief attribute is their
possibility as food for stock and wildlife. Some of the same people who
dislike them (among nurserymen) recommend planting oaks which certainly
do not compare with _C. crenata_. When a very "sweet" acorn is found it
is proclaimed to be "as good as Japanese chestnut."

The Chinese chestnut has its faults here. It is not very thrifty in
growth here and as a rule doesn't bear until late. It is not very
productive and the nuts spoil easily. I have since planted much seed
from the south and it often doesn't even get here in a viable condition.

+Assistance from Beltsville+

My work has lately been facilitated by Mr. Gravatt and Mr. Clapper. I
visited them at Beltsville and Mr. Clapper personally toured the orchard
with me at Glenn Dale, showing me the kind of helpful courtesy that one
never forgets and that is a tribute to these men.

Some promising material was given to me which will greatly facilitate my
work. Mr. Gravatt suggested the use of "Ammate" as an experiment to
poison trees that interfere with any American chestnut growth I wish to
save. The experiment is intended to eliminate the resulting sprouts that
accompany girdling. Incidentally, part of the experiment is to attempt
to give light and cultivation and fertilizer to 100 native chestnut
sprouts in a four acre area.

I have some information on American chestnut sprouts that may be of
interest to the membership. In an endeavor to locate the best American
material, I have been combing the woods and thickets on Long Island, in
New Jersey, Connecticut, and parts of Dutchess County, New York (the
latter not extensively). Many thousands of sprouts were examined to
discover the following:

_Their present status._

1. Sprouts occur almost always in woodlands.

2. They reach their greatest height and are most luxuriant at the edge
of woodlands or in clearings therein.

3. They rarely exceed 15 feet in height and reach a diameter of about
three inches.

4. One in many hundreds, and only where there is light in abundance,
will bear flowers.

5. One in many thousands bears female or pistillate flowers which
sometimes produce "blind" or empty nuts. [Unpollinated--ED.]

6. Rarely, indeed very rarely, are two flowering trees close enough to
produce viable seed.

7. There are a few seedlings that are single stem upright trees (no old
stump in evidence) that reach up to 20 and rarely 25 or 30 feet in
height with a diamete