the idea of thinning later when they begin to crowd. In this way I
will get higher acre yields in the early years. When they reach maturity
I will have them thinned down to forty-eight feet each way. As they
reach heavy bearing the rate of growth will slow down and I will adjust
the nitrogen to keep them from becoming too vegetative.

So far the only insects that have bothered me are caterpillars that
ordinarily feed on wild maypops, or passion flowers. These caterpillars
will defoliate a tree. The only tree that I have lost from
winter-killing was one defoliated by the caterpillars early last fall.
It may become necessary for me to spray for these worms if they become
too plentiful.

I do not come before you as an authority on chestnut growing. I feel
that to force myself to do my best I should plant enough trees to make
me find out how to handle them. In the rush and bustle of peach and
pecan growing if I had only a few chestnut trees I might decide that not
much was involved, and neglect the chestnuts. I know that with two
thousand trees already planted and some of them bearing I am going to
make a great effort to make the project profitable. I have decided that
chestnut growing has possibilities as a tree crop in my section, and is
worth my time and effort. I know there are many problems ahead, but so
did my father when he planted peaches and pecans many years ago. I am
still meeting new problems with them each year. Problems go hand in hand
with the fruit and nut business. It is the fellow who is willing to try
to work them out who has a chance to profit. If I wait until all the
problems are solved I will never grow chestnuts. The day that I decide
that I know all the answers about growing peaches, pecans or chestnuts,
is the day I start going broke. I have been badly bent several times
while I was struggling to find an answer. Each year starts full of hope,
with visions of a nice fat bank balance when the jobs are all done. Then
the problems start and if I can lick enough of them, I come through with
the right to see if I can't do a still better job next year, despite the
risks of too much rain, not enough rain, hail, insects and diseases.

I have found that each year from 15 to 50 million pounds of chestnuts
are imported from Europe. The same blight that destroyed our native
chestnuts, is going full tilt in Italy and other European countries. If
the blight runs its course as it did in this country, it will not