om the southwestern tip of Massachusetts.

The Berkshire hills roll through here and at this point we find
ourselves at approximately the northern limits of the deciduous hardwood
forest belt.

Here the American chestnut is native formerly growing in great abundance
until stricken a mortal blow by the invincible chestnut blight.

Just a few hundred feet north of here on a hilltop, I started in 1945, a
different kind of nut tree plantation.

Placing main emphasis on the chestnut, a start was made on the
cultivation of the thousands of sprouts and seedlings on my 43 acre
coppice forest.

A cluster of ~Castanea dentata~ seedlings that appeared promising was
selected. The following practices proved fairly successful in keeping a
few trees healthy, and bringing one into bearing in 1950. For the
interest of fellow members working along a similar line, I enumerate the
following practices.

1. Clean and thorough tree surgery, cutting out blight cankers
immediately upon discovery.

2. Removal of all very blight susceptible nearby sprouts and the burning
of all infected branches and material.

3. Artificial watering during drought periods.

4. Application of superphosphate, muriate of potash and trace elements.
Es-Min-El was used in our case. Our soil tests high in nitrogen.

5. Removal of all overstory trees and other interfering growth.

It may be noted that the importance of hygiene and sanitation cannot be
stressed too strongly.

Our own native chinkapin, ~Castanea pumila~ when brought up north proves
itself a delightful subject. Outside of the weevil-infested area, it
becomes a hardy producer of superb little chestnuts. This species offers
great promise to the plant breeder because of its very early bearing
(3-4 years from seed). Perhaps hybridization with ~Castanea mollissima~
varieties may bring something very fine and valuable. This species is
tender during its first year but perfectly hardy afterwards. Northern
growers require special techniques to grow chinkapins from seed.

The strains of Chinese chestnut, ~Castanea mollissima~ in most cases do
not seem extremely happy here. The trees appear to sustain varying
degrees of winter injury. The tips of the branches often freeze. Usually
the branch comes into leaf on the lower part first and then upwards.
However, a few individuals appear perfectly hardy. The outlook is
excellent for the discovery of exceptional individuals suitable for the
northern zones.