CHESTNUT, (formerly ehesten-nut, a contamination of AS. eisten, 0110. chest/atm, kestiono, Ger. Kastanie, chestnut, and OF. rhos tabu., It, eastagno, Lat. eastanea, chestnut, from Gk. Kaaravia,kast(Inea, Arm. kask, chestnut; con nected with Gk. Kciarava, Krishn', or Karrapala, Rash:noir', a city of Pontus noted for chestnuts). (*aslant'''. A genus of plants of the natural order Cupulifertc, closely allied to the beech (Pugus), and distinguished from it by long male catkins, longitudinally set with groups of flowers, a five to eight celled ovary (bur), and compressed, rounded nuts. Three species arc of horticultural and commercial importance for their nuts and wood—the European or Spanish chestnut (('ustom-a satiro), the dapanese (Ors ianco Japonica or ('astonta crenctia). and the American (Cast (Inca Americana 1. The Euro pean chestnut grows wild in extensive forests in the south of Europe, west of Asia, and north of Africa, and is a large, stately tree. The nuts are usually two in each bur. very large. and of a (lark mahogany color. Tile American chestnut is taller and more spreading. in forests it reaches a height of 101) feet, with a trunk 3 to 4 feet in diameter. it is native from :Maine to Michigan and southward to Louisiana, and is generally found on high, sandy land, gravel ridges, or mountain slopes comparatively free from limestone. or more improved va rieties are in cultivation. The Japanese chest nut is a smaller tree than either the European or American, and has a compact, symmetrical habit. Its large nuts, early and heavy bearing propensities, comparative freedom from blights, and complete union on either its own American grown or on native American seedlings has brought it into extended use in the United within recent 3.(NI l' :IS an orchard tree and in grafting over native chestnut forests. Chestnuts are usually propagated from seed, and the seed Hugs are later grafted or budded with improved varieties. A common way in the United States is to graft the sprouts arising from the stumps of cut-over chestnut lands with Enropean or dap :mese i-s. Chest nut thither is coarse
grained, light, and durable, and it finds exten sive use in furniture-making, and for posts and fenee-t imbers.
In addition to the three species noted above, there arc' a number of dwarf forms known as chinquapins. The common or tree chinquapin (Postanea lotinila) and the bush chinquapin (Cash/nod alnifolia) are natives of the States south and west of Pennsylvania as far as Texas. The is a shrub four to five feet high, though occasionally reaching a height of 30 or 40 feet ; the latter rarely exceeds three feet. The nuts are smaller than chestnuts, but ripen ear lier• are edible. ;inel to some extent marketed. A number of other species are native to the East. ('aslanea aryentea and Costaneo tungurrat of Java are large trees with edible nuts. Postanop sis eh•ysophylla is a California evergreen. the small fruit or nuts of which are eaten. The horse-•hestnut ( q.v.) is entirely different from the true chestnut.
Food Volue.—Chestnuts when fresh contain 84 per cent. of edible portion and Ill per cent. of refuse (shell). The edible portion has the fol lowing percentage composition: Water. 45.0; pro tein, (1.2; fat, 5.4; total carbohydrates. 42.1; and ash. 1.3. The fuel value is 1125 calories per pound. Unlike most nuts, the chestnut is rich in carbohydrates (largely starch), rather than fat or protein. In Europe steamed chestnuts are eaten either with salt or milk. They are also boiled and roasted• or are used combined with other food materials, and in the manufacture of confectionery. In the form of a cake, called in Italy 'neeei.' they are a common food. In the United states they are eaten raw or roasted, and are also used for making dessert, for stuffing poultry, and in other ways. The candied chest nuts. or 'macrons glact's.' are also well known. Ac cording to recent investigation, cooked chestnuts are quite Cuoroughly digested. Chestnuts are dried. and are sometimes ground to a flour, used for making a bread or cake.