tyMr. Johnson says he sprays the trees in July

tyMr. Johnson says he sprays the trees in July for Japanese beetles, few of which have been around the last couple of years, and in August the trees are given three sprayings for chestnut worm beetles. Chestnuts grow in burrs much like that of the, chinque pin, though much larger and each burr usually contains three nuts. Occasionally there are only one or two nuts in a burr. As they mature the nuts fall to the ground and must be picked up each day. They are spread out on wire cloth to dry and then packaged in plastic pound bags. The nuts are marketed through local stores and fruit stands. Chestnuts are still rare in this section of the country since a blight struck the trees beginning in the 1890’s. It came from China at that time on nursery stock and by 1904 it reached from Maine to Florfc da and from Illinois to the Carolinas. It spread at the Vate of 25 miles a year and reached its limit in the late 1930’s. Chestnut wood was used for furniture, fence rails, tanning mine props, utility poles, rail road ties and houses for %it resisted decay and took gibe well for veneer. The Johnsons at one time had 150 trees but destroyed some for they find it increasingly hard to get the nuts harvested because most labor at this time is busy with the apple harvest.