show about
9 per cent of tannin; the tannin in the American chestnut runs only 6
per cent and in the small American, runs less. We know that the Japanese
is somewhat more immune than the American. We have already found that it
has 50 per cent more tannin. I believe one of us wrote you about
experiments to find out the percentage of tannin in Corean, North
Japanese, South Japanese and Chinese chestnuts. The investigation will
be carried on for the next two or three months.

Mr. Corsan: May I ask if there is any soil food that would increase the
amount of tannin? Trees protect themselves. We have watched the black
walnut and seen him fight all sorts of enemies. The tree has poisons
everywhere and the nut a thick shell to boot and doesn't coax enemies to
get at him or to eat him until he is ripe.

A Member: Have you found that fertilizing a tree increased the
percentage of tannin?

Mr. Rockey: That hasn't been determined yet but it will be studied.

The Chairman: It is a question if the tendency would not be for tannin
to go over to sugar and cellulose under cultivation. I don't remember
the chemistry on that. Aren't there any expert chemists here who can
tell us? The natural tendency of the tree under high cultivation would
be to change tannin over into sugar and starch.

Mr. Corsan: This talk of the chestnut blight reminds me of a remark made
by a gentleman at a peach growing convention. He said the best thing
that ever happened to this country was to get that San Jose scale
because it stopped lazy men from growing peaches. He said, "I don't mind
it a bit and can make more money than when peaches were nothing a
basket." Probably nature will help us some way.

The Chairman: We have to consider what nature wants to do.

Mr. Mayo: If I am in order, I would like to know whether this fungus
trouble is likely in the future to attack or has at any time attacked,
the apple, pear or quince?

The Chairman: I think it has been pretty well decided that they are not
in danger. I will, however, ask Mr. Rockey and Mr. Pierce to answer that
question.

Mr. Rockey: Up to the present time there has been no indication that the
blight will get into them. This might be a good occasion for me to
mention the Connellsville fungus again. It was found on some of the oaks
and other trees in this section of the country, and for a time it
looked as though the blight was getting into other species, but since
that fungus has been identified