xhibition of nuts at the
fourth annual meeting of the Association at Washington, D. C, November
18 and 19, 1913.

GEORGE W. ENDICOTT--THE BOONE CHESTNUT

E. A. RIEHL, ALTON, ILLINOIS

George W. Endicott was born in Belmont County, Ohio, July 25, 1837. He
joined the Forty-eighth Illinois Infantry in 1861, serving nearly three
years, when he was discharged owing to wounds received. Then he went to
farming in Wayne County. In 1867 he settled at Villa Ridge, Ill.,
devoting himself to fruit and vegetable growing, in which he was
eminently successful. Mr. Endicott was a man of strong character and a
leader in his community. Energetic and up to date in all his operations,
he procured and tested all kinds of new fruits as fast as introduced. He
died at his home November 14, 1913.

Of the greatest interest to the nut growers of this country was his work
of creating the Boone chestnut. About 1888 Mr. Endicott conceived the
idea of producing a cross between the American and Japan chestnuts and
getting one combining the sweetness of the native with the large size,
early ripening and young bearing habits of the Japan. He encountered an
obstacle in the fact that the Japan blossomed before the native and it
was not until seven years later that he found a native blossoming early
enough to make the cross. In the spring of 1895 he carefully hand
pollinated some Japan Giant with the pollen of this early flowering
native, sacking the same to prevent other pollen reaching them. The seed
so produced was planted in the spring of 1896 in rich soil that had been
used as a vegetable garden. One of the seeds so planted bore six burs in
1897, eighteen months after planting the seed and has produced crops
every year since as follows: 1898, 1 pound of nuts; 1899, 3 pounds of
nuts; 1900, 5 pounds of nuts; 1901, 6 pounds of nuts; 1902, 8 pounds of
nuts; 1903, 12 pounds of nuts; 1904, 17 pounds of nuts; 1905, 25 pounds
of nuts; 1906, 31 pounds of nuts; 1907, 43 pounds of nuts; 1908, 50
pounds of nuts; 1909, 56 pounds of nuts; 1910, 5 pounds of nuts (early
bloom killed by late freeze); 1911, 80 pounds of nuts; 1912, 76 pounds
of nuts; 1913, 140 pounds of nuts--a grand total of 568 pounds from the
time of planting the seed seventeen years ago.

This nut is of very good quality, has large size, ripens early and comes
into bearing very early. Has been well tested and proven to be one of
the best chestnuts we have. It has but one fault, it is very ha