t the Association would be interested in
seeing some slides of these trees, also of our experimental orchard, as
well as the large quantity of small trees we grow in our nursery and the
manner in which we raise them.

You will see a number of slides of chestnut trees and hear a lot about
the bearing qualities, but you won't see a single nut, for unfortunately
all these slides were taken between December 1946 and July 1947. You
will just have to let the numerous little trees attest to the fact that
these trees bear. We have 50,000 trees in our nursery.

These trees are now nineteen years old and have borne rather remarkably
since 1937. They are spaced too close--an accident--but I believe that
helps thorough pollination. They are now 12 and more inches in diameter,
some are 30' high and the spread is at least 35' where they have the
room. All but No. 14 are spreading in character; spreading character and
good bearing seemed to be connected.

The bearing record of these trees has been given before but I will
summarize them by years again: 1937--118 pounds; 1938 (no records);
1939-463 pounds; 1940--250 pounds; 1941--564 pounds; 1942--658 pounds;
1943--749 pounds; 1944--678 pounds; 1945--250 pounds; 1946--1,100
pounds; this year's crop will probably run 700 to 800 pounds.

The trees seem to bear much the same, with No. 14 the poorest and No. 19
the best and, like many other tree crops, they tend to alternate good
and poor crops on each tree. The nuts are of good size, averaging 40 to
50 per pound (green) with No. 6 and No. 19 bearing the smallest nuts.
They ripen in September with the exception of No. 19 which is a month
later. Mr. Reed likes No. 16 which has a wrinkled shell. All the nuts
are medium sweet to sweet and all of them fall free of the bur. I think
the most significant thing is that at least 12 of the trees have nut
characteristics so near alike that they are about indistinguishable,
which certainly makes them a good source of seed.

The similarity of the nuts brings up the controversial subject of the
seedling raised tree, and I will make some remarks in defense of this
method.

1. All our parent trees are good bearers.

2. There is no extraneous pollen in the vicinity.

3. I will present as a question: Has the Chinese chestnut, like the rose
and the apple been hybridized out of all semblance of the wild form?

4. The seedling tree should bring chestnuts to the average householder's
table 30 years soo