I'm not a pioneer. I'm an apprentice with 20 years of a very interesting
"traditional experience", orally transmitted by local chestnut/and other
fruits forest workers.
The culture of chestnuts in the Azores Islands seems to go back into
the beginning of the 19th Century (Drouet,1866, cit. Fernandes 1987). About
this subject, you can take a look at the "Portuguese, Azores University"
site bellow.
You're right about orange trees. Before the chestnut trees grow up
too high and wide, we used to have orange trees producing oranges between
the Chestnut trees area.
Vitor

http://www.angra.uac.pt/pessoais/docentes/jbatista/Castanheiro/Castanheiro.p
df

-----Original Message-----
From: American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
brokenstrings
Sent: Tuesday, April 29, 2008 2:40 AM
To: American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids] Re: Azores Islands Chestnut
Trees "Castanea Sativa"

Ah! That was one of the islands I visited. In the botanical gardens in Angra
do Heroismo, I found many old friends, including some I would not have
expected that far north (a Chinquapin rose--don't laugh!--R. roxburghii
plena). OTOH Castanea sativa will grow as far south as Corsica and Crete. I
suspect it's because of the mountainous nature of those places that you can
grow quinces, citrus and chestnuts all on the same island. Are you a pioneer
in growing chestnuts in the Azores, or are they established there? I know
they grow in mainland Portugal.


--- In American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com, "Vitor Hugo
Fragueiro"
<vhfragueiro@...> wrote:
>
> Terceira Island, one of the Central Group Islands, Town: Terra-Cha,
> Canada de Belem
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf
> Of Jessica Wolff
> Sent: Monday, April 28, 2008 1:12 AM
> To: American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [American_Chestnut_Trees_and_Hybrids] Azores Islands
> Chestnut Trees "Castanea Sativa"
>
> Which island? I visited the Azores some years ago and came back with
> an unusual guitar. (No, not made of chestnut, but I do have a chestnut
> psaltery.)
>
> --- Vitor Hugo Bettencourt da Terra Fragueiro <vhfragueiro@...>
> wrote:
>
> > Hello!
> >
> > I am a retired air traffic controller, 70yrs old and we live in the
> > Azores Islands, a 9 Island Archipelago between Europe and USA, on
> > the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. My retirement is dedicated to a
> > 10 acres Chestnut trees property.
> > I just posted in the Group some pictures of our Chestnut Trees
> > "Castanea Sativa".
> > I would appreciate if some of the group members could share also
> > pictures of their own Chestnut Trees.
> > Thank You in advance.
> >
> > Vitor