The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1886-01-20
CHESTNUTS.
Where the Popular Nuts Are Gathered
Every Specimen Supplied With Worm.


Every Specimen Supplied With a Worm.
The sad-eyed Italian with his chestnut
stand, who ornaments every street cor
ner, excites in the mind of the average
citizen not so much the memory OF the
army of decrepit Jokes that have come
iimping down the vistas of ages past as
of the days when he used to roam the
woods IN search of the best chestnut tree,
with cart-wheel spoke or a hickory
stick in his hand as weapon of otfense
and an old salt-bag slung over his back
in which to carry off the booty. Every
fall after the first October frost the same
procession wends its way through the
New England woods after school is out.
Away goes the troop over stone walls
and across closely-cropped meadows in
search of the most desirable tree, for the
characteristics of each are known.
The tree is tall and venerable, and it's
fruit is big, brown and of the sweetest
flavor, but its branches are SO high that
the most aspiring club can not reach
them, and only after a strong wind has
shaken the limbs and scattered the nuts
on the ground, will it pay to visit the
tree. Other trees have fruit that is less
sweet and juicy, but their branches are
lower, and they can be easily ''clubbed'
and compelled to yield up their
abundance. Under one of these the
chattering group gathers. The girls
and the smaller boys pick up,
while the more sturdy lads WELD the
club. There is warning cry of
Heads, and up goes club end over
end. 1t circles through the air in the
majestic manner of an eagle whose steer
ing apparatus is out of order, descends
in the tip-top of the tree, and bangs its
way downward from branch to branch,
while perfect rain of chestnuts and
burrs falls alike on the Just and unjust.
The capacious salt-bag gaps wide, but
the spoils collected by many busy hands
soon initiate it to the condition of city
official, and it is borne home in triumph,
to have its contents poured into count
less shallow milk-pans, if it doesnt burst
on the way there.
Whether the youngster who at this
moment may be twisting his shoulder
out of joint and nearly swapping his
head oft in the attempt to throw par
ticularly big club to the top of the high
est tree in some Connecticut woodland
will ever walk down Broadway and hold
open his pockets to receive certain
minute and high-priced portion of the
wares of the sad-cyed Italian of the flu
ture it is impossible to say But if such
should be the case he will wonder from
what sOurces-besides the almanacs and
funny papers-all the chestnuts come.
And unless the condition of the trade
changes his loyalty to his New England
home will be shocked at the knowledge
that none of them comes from the East
ern States Baltimore, Pennsylvania,
New York and Northern New Jersey are
the sources of supply for the chestnut
trade of this city. Hundreds of bushels
come here to be consumed or shipped to
Albany and other cities.
Chestnuts are rarely cultivated system
atically, even in these regions, but they
are more rigidly guarded from depreda-
tions, as they are not considered COM
mon property, as in New England.
Sometimes chestnut trees are set out,
but it is for the timber primarily, and
the nuts are an incidental advantage. In
Pennsylvania, especially, a chestnutting
party is apt to meet with discourage
ments in the shape of Teutonic ex.
pletives, bulldogs and shotguns, which
mar the beauty of the rural picture as
seen in the Connecticut grove.
Cali the chestnuts 60 through WASH
ington Market said dealer, as he
shook a sieve full of the article under
discussion yesterday. The shaking sent
the dirt through the meshes of the sieve,
and brought the light, wormy nuts
to the top, where they were
picked out and thrown away.
'In plentiful season. he con-
tinucd, like this they bring from 50. sc
to So. so bushel of sixty pounds. Some
have to be picked over carefully, and
others don't, according to where they
come from and who gathered them
81 suppose that worminess is CONTACT
ous," said the reporter, us he picked
out particularly fat and thriving speci.
men. Zone wormy chestnut would
corrupt Wuolc ndIfeliut Ill tlluc.
wouldn't it?''
Every chestnut you are eating has a
worm in it," replied the dealer with Il
reassuring grin. "You take the fairest,
soundest one you ever saw and keep it IN
warm place, like an incubator, and
it'll hatch out worm. Arrangements
are perfected for the future appearance
of that worm by little insect while the
tree is yet in blossom. Then, to help
the thing out, the chestnuts get up heat
themselves by sort Of spontaneous
combustion. If l. let the barrel stand
there all night you couldn't bear to run
your hand down into it in the morning
it would be so hot They must be kept
in cold place"
'How many bushels of chestnuts pass
through the market in a year,"
II don't know, l can't guess. We
handle hundreds of bushels ourselves,
and there are good many others in the
business. IN Y. Tribune