The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-11-16
Big MONEY IN CHESTNUTS.
The Philadelphia North American Tells
What an Euterprising Man Is Doing
In the Eastern Part of the State.
FULTON COUNTY SOIL WELL ADAPTED.

uiOon Guilty, duu W INSPIRE duy
who may be seeking "acres of
diamonds, I'VE publish the follow.
ing from the Sunday North Amer.
ican of the 29th ult.-ED
Here is a recipe for the making
Of millionaire. 1t comes from
Mr.. Coleman K. Sober, scientific
woodsman and practical farmer,
of Lewisburg, Pa.
The ingredients
One young man.
Five hundred dollars.
A tract of waste land.
Let the young man invest
the $500 in land from which chest.
nut or red oak trees have been
cut.
Upon the sprouts springing
from the stumps of these trees
let him graft sprigs of the i'm
ported or European chestnut tree.
After this has been done, let him
Watch and Wait.
This formula, if carried out as
detailed below, will, according to
Mr.. Sober's belief, provide COM
petence in ten years, financial in.
dependence in fifteen years, a
great fortune IN thirty years, and
a noble estate for the children of
the pioneer and for their chill
dren's children unto generations.
Observation-Disclosures is not mere.
ly theory with Mr.. Sober. Over
the sides of the hills that frame
the beautiful Irish Valley, near
Shamokin, he has probably the
largest grove of cultivated young
chestnut trees in the world.
The place is aptly called Chest
nut Grove Farm. More than 1OO,.
600 young trees bowed their stur-
dy limbs under burden of nuts
there this fall.
Mr.. Sober's trees are of Span.
ish origin. The nuts sell readily
at from IS to $12 a bushel now,
although 1t is thought that the
price will range lower in few
years, as the supply becomes
larger.
1T is claimed that even at $3.50
a bushel the chestnut crop will
pay much better than wheat. The
demand for them at present is SO
great that the few hundred bush
els raised now by Mr.. Sober can
be- sold as fast as gathered.
Chestnut growing will pay !,
declares Mr.. Sober.
He has the best possible reason
for this behet, because he is ma
king it pay.
In this opinion he Is evidently
joined by Professor Nelson F..
Davis, of Bucknell University,
who recently examined the Sober
groves by request of the Pennsyl.
vania State Department of Agri-
culture. Professor Davis report
gives the result of his observa-
tions, and contains much inter
esting information given MIN by
Mr.. Sober. 1t states: "An acre
of land will grow thirty.tive bush
els of wheat IN a year IL properly
cultivated.
"a like area of chestnut trees
will produce many times as many
bushels of equally nutritious food
yearly for an indefinite period,
and require no outlay for cultiva.
ton, replantiug or fertilization;
more than this, the spring frosts,
beating rains and summer
droughts, which are a constant
menace tn the wheat crop. work
no injury upon the chestnut tree
or it's fruit.
"Why. then, Is wheat grown on
millions of acres, while we fail "
produce even enough chestnuts
to supply the row limited demand
aud to allow Southern Europe to
exact large tribute from US an.
nually for the nuts we import for
consumption IN their raw un'
wholesome form?
with the exception of the oc
casional Thanksgiving turkey
stuffed with chestnut dressing
chestnuts in their many appetix