The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-11-16
BIG MONEY IN cHEsTNUTS



"In chemical composition and
relative food value, the chestnut
Is a better balanced and more
nutritious food than other nuts,
and of many of the cereals.
"In Europe the cultivated chest
nut is en important food product
and in Italy, France, Spain aud
Turkey it serves as one of the
chief articles of food to the peas.
ants who long ego learned how
to prepare 1t.
"The chestnuts may be used as
a vegetable, or ground into -four
and made into bread, or prepar-
ed as soup or pudding. Chest
nuts made into candy are also
well known"
There is vlrtu lilly no time limit
to the bearing ability of these
trees. Records obtained In Spain
and Italy show specimens more
than 2000 years old, and still bear.
ing with pristine vigor.
The mum Der OF youns burs that
will mature on young tree is as
tonishing. A four.year old tree
matured 200 burs, many of them
containing two or three nuts, and
all well developed.
From this tree early the same
season 300 young burs had been
picked to prevent too great a yield
otherwise the matured nuts
would have been smaller, or the
tree might have broken down un-
der the weight.
The nuts are from three to four
inches in circumference, and oc-
caslonally one is found that will
cover a silver dollar, while an av.
erage nut will cover a silver half
dollar.
Here, then, is the hint to the
young man who Is seeking for
tune:
Grow chestnuts
"Mr. Sober" so states the re-
port of Professor DAVIS, "had
nearly four hundred acres of
waste mountain land on his es.
tate, and desired to reclaim 1t.
"Orlginally it had been covered
by dense growth of pine, but
this had been cut off years be.
fore, and IN its place oak and
chesnut cameup, with other hard.
wood trees. This had again been
cut down and all valuable timber
sold, only stumps, brush and
worthless logs remaining.
During the winter of 1896 the
was removed from 100
acres of this land, and the follow
ing spring and summer a vigor.
GUS growth of sprouts sprang up
each stu mp, many sprouts
being from six to eight feet high,
and over an inch in diameter at
the base.
SIN the spring of 1898, two
years after the clearing of the
land, the grating began. At
first the results were not encour-
aging, out Mr.. Sober learned how
to do the work better as he went
along, and rs per cent of the
scions grated in 1900 lived.
"The trees first grated were
now in a condition to furnish an
of scions, and each
year, during February and March,
bundles of scions were cut and
kept IN cool place, packed in
damp sand or moss. The scions
be Kept dormant, and u.s.
ually about May l they are plac.
ed in boxes and buried among the
cakes of ice in an ice house, where
they remain until wanted. May
is the month for grating, al
though the season varies some
what from one year TO another. "
In the light of recent exper-
lence it is claimed that if the
grating Is well done 80 per cent
Of the gratis should live An ex.
perienced man should set $50
scions day, aud do 1T well.
The yearly growth of gratis,
when properly treated, is re-
markable. They are often from
two to three feet long when two
months old. Professor Davis
one that was fourteen