today, but for our climate I would consider it unusually large and good.  Experimentally, I have been able to produce new plants from this tree by layering young shoots coming from the roots.  This generally requires two years to make a well-rooted plant before they are cut off and transplanted.  This alternative of propagating by grafting or budding is considered a better method if it can be practiced, as it gives a plant on its own roots instead of the roots of some unknown seedling stock.

[Illustration:  Hybrid Chestnut; natural size, one of the two survivors of several dozen trees sent by the U. S. Dept. of Agriculture for testing this far north.  Fair size nut and it resembles the American Sweet Chestnut.  Photo by C. Weschcke.]

Another tree that surprised me when it came into bearing proved to bear one nut in a burr which led me to believe that it was a chinquapin hybrid.  Later on, the habit of this tree changed somewhat and some of the burrs had more than one nut.  I have found this to be the experience of others who have observed so-called chinquapin trees of a hybrid nature.  It is my belief that the kind of pollen with which these blossoms are fertilized directly influences the number of nuts in a burr and sometimes the size of the nuts, again showing the importance of the cross-pollinating varieties when setting out an orchard of trees.  This particular chinquapin type chestnut has upright growing habits different from a tree bearing similar nuts but having a very dwarfed habit.  All of the nuts of the latter after six years of bearing can be picked off this tree by standing on the ground.  There are several other trees bearing chestnuts, some large and some small nuts, all of which are interesting to me and may be important in the future of the chestnuts this far north since they indicate without doubt that the chestnut can accommodate itself to our climate, providing it has the right type of soil to grow in.  In 1952 I acquired a 20-acre adjoining piece of land which has a much better chestnut growing site, being deep sandy soil, well drained, and yet not ever being dry.  New varieties will be tested on this piece and should give much better results than the old trees which already were good enough to indicate success in chestnuts.

[Illustration:  A hybrid chestnut presumed to be a cross between European Chestnut (Castanea Sativa) and its American cousin (Castanea Americana).  Actual size.  Photo by C. Weschcke.]

[Illustration:  Chinquapin hybrids from a tall growing tree.  Nuts grow in racemes of burrs with as many as 10 burrs on one stem.  Photo by C. Weschcke.]

Apricot

If it were not that an apricot is a nut as well as a fruit, I should hesitate to include a description of my work with it.  But the apricot seed has a rich kernel which, in many countries, for example, China, is used as a substitute for the almond to which it is closely related.