et the fungus
doesn't thrive and the trees are able to overcome its attacks, in many
cases forming a healing wound callus around the lesions; in others the
lesion becomes simply a granular mass in which the fungus appears to be
living only in the outer bark. Cultivation, fertilization, and judicious
pruning certainly help these trees to withstand these fungus attacks. We
harvested a bumper crop last year and this from trees given us in 1929
by the Division of Forest Pathology, U.S.D.A.

[Illustration: Fig. 2.--Close-up of lower part of tree in fig. 1,
showing inarched basal shoots which at the beginning were as slender as
the leafless shoot now showing on right side, below, coming from base of
trunk. Note exposed dead part of trunk showing old canker disease. Photo
Sept. 13, 1947, by Louis Buhle.]

_Public Interest in the Problem._ Last fall, September 1946, in an
article in the Yankee Magazine, I asked for nuts and pollen of the
American chestnut. As a result the following persons from many different
parts of the country sent in nuts: Mr. Henry Hartung, Methuen, Mass.;
Mrs. Marie Garlichs, Brooklyn, from Lake Minnewaska, N. Y.; Mr. Charles
Ericson, Brooklyn, nuts from Staten Island, N. Y.; Mrs. Jay B. Nash, N.
Y. City, from Lake Sebago, Sloatsburg, N. Y.; Mr. H. W. Donnelly,
Tacoma, Wash.; Mr. George M. Hindmarsh, Kent County, R. I.; Mrs.
Steiner, Niota, Tenn.; Miss Marjorie Bacon, New Haven, Conn. from
Litchfield, Conn. through Dr. Edgar Heermance; Mr. Harold E. Willmott,
Bethel, Conn.; Mr. W. F. Jacobs, Tallahassee, Fla. (_Castanea crenata_);
Mr. P. P. Pirone, New Brunswick, N. J. (_C. crenata_); Mr. Morton F.
Sweet, Seattle, Wash. (_C. sativa_), nuts, and scions in March '47; Mr.
John I. Shafer, Sparta, Tenn. This lists shows not only the widespread
interest in the subject but also that the chestnut sprouts are still
bearing nuts. In some cases the nuts were "blind," i.e. sterile,
containing no kernel or embryo. In order to develop a good nut there
must be two chestnut trees within a reasonable distance of each other so
that cross fertilization may take place. Isolated trees will usually not
bear nuts. In other words, the chestnut is usually self sterile. We are
still planting all nuts received, labeled with the name and address of
the sender. The resulting trees are being set out in the Yale Forest in
Tolland and Windham Counties, Conn. under the direction of Mr. Basil
Plusnin, Forester in charge. Thus the possibi