MARCH 4, 1021 proceedings: botanical society 119 



desirability of studying the anthropology of Pacific races, the making of a 

 magnetic, geographical, physical and biological survey of the Pacific Ocean, 

 including a study of bottom samples, brachiopod faunas as an index to former 

 land connections, algae, ecology of corals on coral reefs, land faunas of Pa- 

 cific islands, and the relation of living forms to extinct allied forms, Pacific 

 birds, land flora including problems of forestry, agriculture, ethnobotany, 

 plant ecology on oceanic islands and on new lava flows and ash deposits from 

 volcanic ejections, the preservation of the Hillebrand garden at Honolulu ; 

 also the establishment of a meteorological station on Matma Loa; the study 

 of volcano and earthquake phenomena, and the publication of information 

 relating to them; and the continuation of the geophysical observatory at 

 Samoa. 



Samuel B. Detwiler: White pine and the blister rust (illustrated with 

 motion pictures and accompanied by specimens). 



The white pine is probably the best known timber tree in the country, and 

 up to ISNO produced the bulk of the country's lumber cut. In the East most 

 of the white pine had been removed by 1890, and the present lumber cut 

 in New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan and A^'isconsin is only a small fraction 

 of what it was formerly. In New England, however, because of the ability 

 of this species to restock abandoned lands, the white pine has held its own. 



The blister rust infection is heaviest in New England and eastern New 

 York. This disease, as far as is known, has not crossed the Great Plains 

 and infected the very valuable sugar pine and western white pine forests. 

 \\'hile there are federal and state quarantines, prohibiting the shipment of 

 five-leaf pines and Ribes (currants and gooseberries) from the East to the 

 West, yet there have been numerous violations of these quarantines, any 

 one of which, had it not been caught, might ha\'e carried the blister rust to 

 the western forests. The Dominion of Canada is cooperating with the United 

 States in tr3'ing to protect the West and has adopted quarantines similar to 

 ours. These quarantine measures will, however, break down unless ade- 

 quate inspection is made to prevent \iolations. That our western white 

 pines are subject to infection from blister rust is borne out by recent letters 

 from Mr. Wm. vS. Moir who is studying the blister rust in Europe for the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. He has found not only the eastern 

 white pine heavily infected, but also the limber pine, sugar pine and western 

 white pine. 



The blister rust infection on white pine in the East is increasing rapidly. 

 A strip survey in New Hampshire showed 20 per cent of the pines infected 

 on an area of 72 square miles. A similar strip, studied in New York, showed 

 10 per cent of the pines infected. 



Protective measures in the East consist of the destruction of the alternate 

 hosts of the blister rust, currants and gooseberries, both wild and cultivated. 

 In 1910, over 250,000 acres were cleared of Ribes in the North East. The 

 average labor cost per acre in New England was 24 cents; in New England 

 and New York, 42 cents, and with supervision 54 cents. Experience has 

 shown that the Ribes eradication crews destroyed over 95 per cent of the 

 bushes in one working, and that the leaf surface destroyed is over 99 per cent. 

 Chemical eradication of Ribes is being tried out and has proven quite suc- 

 cessful. An ecological study of currants and gooseberries, which is being 

 carried on, is expected to further reduce the cost of eradication. 



147th meeting 

 The 147th meeting was held in the Assembly Hall of the Cosmos Club, 

 December 7, 1920, with 50 members and 10 guests present, and President 



