Year: 1859

! In answer to an enquiry on the culture
Of the chestnut, We give the following
from the Northwestern Farmer, commu
nicated to that paper by Mr. JAS. Weed,
Of Museatine, Iowa:


Convinced Of the great utility Of this
tree for our northwestern climate, we
propose to offer few suggestions relative
to ITS culture aud the Inducements it
presents to cultivators


To begin with the seeds; these should
be gathered fresh from the trees immedi-
| ately packed 70: transportation in such
manner as not to heat or become d,y. If to
be = or weeks in reaching their destina-
tion, we would pack in dry sand, or per
haps slightly damp swamp moss would
answer equally as well, aud not SO heavy;
but if only two or three days, simply put
up in small boxes or casks, containing
from one-fourth to onc-haf bushel, no.
so close as to prevent a suitable ventila.
tion, would probably answer as well as
any mode. When received they should
be immediately mixed with six or eight
times their bulk in sand, rather dry than
moist, in boxes, and the boxes placed in
a cool dry cellar, or they may be sunk to
their tops in the earth, on a dry ridge
where they will not be likely to become
too much saturated with standing water,
and thus exposed to the action of winter
frosts; but this is not SO essential to the
chestnut as to the seeds Of stone fruits,
such as the peach, plumb, &c. If kept
IN the cellar, care should be taken to keep
them sufficiently cool to prevent their
sproutiug too much before the ground is
in suitable condition to plant. The
planting should be done as early in the
spring as practicable, and if for nursery
culture, the rows should not be less than
four feet apart, and the nuts placed from
eight to twelve inches apart in the row,
and abuu. one il ch deep.


After planting, if the earth is drawn
up with the hands into high ridge, it
will not smother the young plants, and
will facilitate their coming up if the soil
is stiff and inclined to bake. With us,
when in good condition, chcstnuts have
grown readily and with as little trouble
as corn. They should be carefully hoed
as soon as they appear above ground, aud
with the use OF the plow, cultiyator and
hoe, the soil should be kept we'll stirred
and free from weeds the first summer
and the first winter the trees should be
well mulched with leaves or manure to
prevent their being thrown out of the
ground by frost. Their after treatment
will consist in clean culture and iudicious
pruning to raise the head by degrees to
it's required height.


Choice varieties may be propagated by
grating as readily as the apple. Spanish
che,tnuts would perhaps be very de>ira-
bic, but we have found them to tender
for this climate.


Transplanting the chestnut success
fully has generally been regarded as a
difficult matter, and our early experience
tended to corroborate this opinion. We
have observed that after removal, the
trees usually put out leaves readily, and
continue to show prominent 81 gus of liv
ing, until the heat and drouth Of summer
supcrvenes, when they become withered
aud die In the spring Of 1857 we plant
d row half a mile long, and twenty
feet apart, requiring one hundred and
twenty-five trees. These were twice hoed
in the early part Of the season, and when
the early drouth Of summer commenced,
they were thoroughly mulched with the
refuse hay from a stack yard; and Of the
whole number of trees but eight died.
thirty eight sprouted from the Ioots, and
seventy-six succeeded peri city. We
have come to regard good culture and
thorough mulching after removal, as cs-
sential to success. The chestnut will
probably grow well on moist western soils;
1t certainly does well on the clay soil Of
our oak lands, and will grow freely on
those that are slightly sandy, and VIC see
no good reason why they will not grow
rs we'll on our broad praries, whore
trees of this character arc very much
needed.


Among our native ornamental trees,
the chestnut holds high rank. The oak
and elm are Justly admired for thei,
grandeur and gracefulncss, but these arc
chiefly characteristics which belong te
their maturity, while the chestnut f.,