Prater's Mill
Receives American Chestnut Trees for Demonstration Plot
The Georgia Chapter of The American Chestnut
Foundation planted a demonstration plot of 8 trees on May 4, 2005, at Prater's Mill, In Varnell, Georgia. The
Prater's Mill Foundation
requested the planting in conjunction with their 150 year anniversary
to be celebrated at the fair in October.
The terrain was rough but
Hill Craddock,
Professor at UTC Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences
insisted that the area be cleared where the trees would be planted in
order to give them sunlight and leave most everything laying to
re-nourish the ground as it rotted. Hill stated that the soil was
perfect and he plans to go back in the fall and plant 50 to 100 more
trees.
You never know what you will find when
planting trees. A box that was buried in a spot where we
planted a tree was thought to be one buried in a treasure hunt. Upon
inspection, it was found to be someone's pet that must have been
buried years ago as all that was left was fur. Hill reburied it out
of respect.
