GROW A CHESTNUT!

Will your future yuletide seasons include native chestnuts roasting on an open fire? It's entirely possible ...if you're prepared to plant some Castanea dentata and then tend them very carefully for at least the first three years.

WHERE TO GET THEM

Not many American chestnut trees can be found anymore, so it's likely you wouldn't recognize one if you saw it ...even the leaves can vary from one region to another. So rather than scrounge the woods looking for a sapling to transplant, you might want to consider ordering nuts, or young trees, direct from Edgar Huffman.

Edgar says he learned the best procedure for germinating chestnuts by observing how squirrels conceal the nuts. Apparently the furry creatures instinctively know the way to bury the seeds so that they'll sprout. Here's how it's done:

Plant the nuts in pairs in a well-worked germination bed ...one with its pointed end out, the other with its pointed end in. Naturally, if you live in an area where there are squirrels, you can expect to have a hard time sprouting any nuts without running interference. Huffman prevents squirrel raiding by planting the seeds inside an old bicycle rim (the squirrels think it's a trap and leave it alone). He can get as many as 125 nuts planted in one rim, which will produce—if they're handled properly—more than 100 young trees.

HOW TO PLANT THEM

Mr. Huffman recommends transplanting each newly germinated seed into a cut-down paper milk carton for easy transportation. Once you've done so, prepare a hole—about afoot in diameter—just as you would for any nut tree. Dig it deep, making certain there's no rock in the bottom. Then, plant with great care. If the chestnut's long taproot is injured, the tree may always be inferior. Be sure, also, to avoid exposing the young root to drying air for any longer than necessary.