224 AMERICAN FORESTRY 



facilities and assistance as will contribute to the value of the final results, 

 because the results will be availabe to them and to the people of their State. 



Under the head of methods of procedure towards the protection of the 

 chestnut from its insect enemies, I may say that in our work on the destructive 

 insect enemies of the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Slope regions, it has been 

 forcibly demonstrated that any direct attempt to control or prevent widespread 

 depredations by insects without a knowledge of the essential facts about the 

 depredator and of the peculiar methods necessary for its control will result 

 in failure and a waste of energy and money. It has been shown that with 

 action based on results of investigation, and a consequent knowledge of the 

 fundamental facts and principles involved, more can be accomplished with a 

 few hundred dollars than with many thousands of dollars without such 

 knowledge. Therefore, in taking up any new problem the expenditure of public 

 funds should be first directed to the determination and dissemination of 

 authentic information before any attempt is made to get practical results. 

 In other words, practical application must follow and not precede scientific 

 investigations and expert advice, just as legislation for the control of forest 

 insects, to be effective, must follow, and not precede, education on the prin- 

 ciples and methods of control. 



It should be noted in this connection that the chestnut is not the only 

 tree of the eastern forests that is suffering from insects and other enemies. 

 The hickory, the black locust, the oak, the hemlock, and the pine, have their 

 distinctive enemies and in some localities in every State one or more of these 

 tree species have been practically eliminated from the forest. 



It is natural for the owner of a forest or the general public to assume 

 that, because of the enormous number of insect and other enemies of forest 

 trees, there can be no practical method of controlling extensive depredations 

 or of preventing losses from their ravages. Such an assumption is, however, 

 far from correct, even in the case of the most destructive species. 



HOW TO CONTROL DEPREDATORS 



Recent demonstrations in the western forests and our extensive observa- 

 tions in all parts of the country have shown that in many cases it is entirely 

 practicable to control insect depredators and save millions of dollars at an 

 ultimate cost which is comparatively insignificant. 



The steps towards the successful protection of forest trees from their 

 insect enemies are: 



1. Investigations to determine the essential facts about the princi])al 

 insects which are capable of killing trees. 



2. Concentration of the investigations on the most important species to 

 determine their seasonal history and habits, and the most economical and 

 effectual methods of preventing serious depredations by them. 



3. Dissemination of authoritative information on the essential facts and 

 principles of control and prevention, by means of circulars, press notices, 

 lectures, special field instructions, and field demonstrations. 



