ts are infected with weevils, they should
immediately be treated after harvesting with the hot water or methyl
bromide treatment as recommended by the United States Department of
Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine.]

It is essential that the nuts be placed in storage immediately after
they have had the preliminary curing. Any delay may increase the
possibility of mold development.

In the winter of 1945-46, nuts from 6 seedling Chinese chestnut trees
were stored separately in five-gallon friction-top cans at the Plant
Industry Station, Beltsville, Md., at 32 deg.F. for approximately 6 months.
The results are given in Table 1. It will be noted that there was some
variation in the percentage of spoiled nuts in the different lots, but
the loss was small when compared with results obtained by other methods.
All of the sound nuts in these lots were planted in a rodent-proof
coldframe immediately after they were removed from storage, and from 90
to 95% germination of the seed was obtained throughout.

It is almost impossible to keep some varieties satisfactorily with even
the best of care. Because of the great difference in keeping quality of
the nuts of different varieties and from different seedling trees, each
chestnut grower should study the keeping performance of the nuts from
the different trees in his own orchard. He should save for permanent
trees those producing nuts that keep well.

The method of storing chestnuts that perhaps has been more widely used
than any other is to pack the nuts in slightly moist sphagnum moss or
fresh hardwood sawdust in boxes and place them in cold storage at 32 deg.F.
to 34 deg.F. A little less volume of packing material than of nuts is
customarily used. The correct amount of moisture may be attained by
adding 4 fluid ounces of water to 1 pound of dry sphagnum moss. There is
great danger of getting too much moisture, which will tend to cause
spoilage. If the cold storage compartment is one that has a tendency to
dry the stored material, it may be necessary at some time during the
year to open up the boxes and add a little moisture to the sphagnum, but
in most storage houses this is not necessary.

Based upon results obtained during the last 2 or 3 years, it seems
probable that the method of storing chestnuts in friction-top cans will
prove to be more efficient than other methods now in use. Tests are
under way to determine the most desirable moisture content of nut