ese little plantations that are spotted around on the farms, if they
were put in correctly and handled properly according to our
instructions, have given us a survival of about 80 to 85 per cent, which
is, as you will remember, about the percentage in the Nanking strain
planting in Jackson County, 26 out of the 34 original trees. That seems
strange, but it has proved true all over the state in the few checks
that we have made. But we are going into it and checking these
plantations and by so doing I believe we can eliminate a good many of
our own troubles, along with your help.

* * * * *

President Davidson: Thank you, Mr. Quick for a very interesting paper.

Is Professor Moore, present? Our next talk will be on The Present Status
of the Chestnut in Virginia, by Professor R. C. Moore of the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute of Blacksburg, Virginia. Professor Moore.

The Present Status of the Chestnut in Virginia

R.C. MOORE, Department of Horticulture Virginia Agricultural Experiment
Station

Briefly reviewing the past, Virginia has been in the same position as
many other states in regard to the large number of native American
chestnuts that once grew wild before the blight epidemic occurred. Most
of the chestnuts were found on loose, open type soils rather than on
heavy limestone soil. In mountainous parts of the state, considerable
income was obtained from the sale of wild chestnuts. Men, women, and
children gathered these nuts and traded them at the stores for
merchandise. One small country store, in Floyd County, southwest
Virginia, assembled and shipped between sixty and eighty thousand pounds
annually. A small town, Stuart, in Patrick County, shipped three
carloads daily during the peak of the season. These nuts found their way
to city markets, where chestnut roasters were as commonly seen as
popcorn poppers. Since many of these native chestnut trees grew in
forests or on wasteland, there was little expense involved except in the
time required to gather them. The demand was good but frequently the
sale price was rather low, especially during years when the crop was
heavy.

After blight destroyed the wild trees, a considerable amount of timber
was cut from the dead trees. At present this wood has largely decayed
beyond usefulness except for firewood, although in some areas it is
being gathered for pulpwood. Sprouts have arisen from the bases of the
trunks and have borne