DR. GRAVATT: We don't know yet, because they always get a certain number of failures. I looked over quite a lot of grafting of Chinese chestnuts on Japanese-European hybrids, and they are thriving. After four years they are already regular trees with big crops on them. TUESDAY MORNING SESSION PRESIDENT BEST: Our first paper is "Rooting Chestnuts from Softwood Cuttings" by Roger W. Pease. Rooting Chestnuts from Softwood Cuttings ROGER W. PEASE, _West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Morgantown, W. Va._ Some 15 or 20 years ago the West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station undertook to develop, if possible, blight resistant chestnuts from American chestnut stock. With the passage of time the approach to the problem has changed. During the early days little thought was given to procedures for propagation, but recently the emphasis has shifted toward methods for propagation when and if there are found hardy, timber-type, blight-immune chestnuts of any species. The practicability of budding or grafting chestnuts is debatable. We are leaving budding and grafting to experienced workers throughout the country and are endeavoring to develop a method for rooting chestnuts from softwood cuttings. Results so far are encouraging, but the work is still in the experimental stage. We do not advise anyone to start rooting chestnuts on a commercial basis, but we hope that further experimental work will be done by interested agencies. To give complete details of several years' work would take more time than is feasible here. Circular 87, _Growing American Holly from Cuttings--Cold Frame Method_, obtainable from the Mailing Room, West Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, Morgantown, West Virginia, gives construction details of a suitable bottom-heated cold frame. However, with chestnuts, natural shade was not used and half of the sunlight was excluded. An article in the October issue of _The National Horticultural Magazine_--"Rooting Chestnuts from Cuttings"--outlines procedure and results through 1952. In this paper I will present a resume of our experiences and observations. Our facilities were limited so that the number of cuttings set in each case was very small. Percentages of failure or success should be taken as indicative only. In the propagation experiments, preliminary observations were made by placing softwood cuttings in a bottom-heated cold frame at intervals during the growing season. The soil medium was two thirds washed sand and one third peat moss. Daily watering was by a hand hose. The root-inducing substance was indole-butyric acid crystals in a talc based mixture, one to one hundred. The results were completely negative.