410 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



At the same time a letter asking for the assistance of 

 the newspapers in giving publicity to forest fire protection 

 work was mailed to newspaper editors throughout the 

 State. That the newspapers gladly assisted in bringing 

 this to the attention of their readers is shown by the fact 

 that articles were published in practically all the papers 

 throughout the State. In addition to this, some of the 

 timber owners contributed articles to the papers in the 

 localities where they were interested, calling attention 

 to local conditions, all of which was most effective. 



Perhaps the greatest value of such newspaper publicity 

 arises from the fact that it brings about a better under- 

 standing between the people and forest ovi'ners in re- 

 gard to their common interests. 



THE PENNSYLVANIA FORESTRY MEETING 



T]\\i midsummer meeting of the Pennsylvania 

 P'orestry Association at Reading, Pa., June 27-29, 

 was a great success. Not only were the sessions 

 well attended but the papers and addresses were of much 

 practical benefit and the outings at which it was possible 

 to view extensive forest planting on the estates of Jacob 

 Nolde and George T. Horst, as well as the municipal 

 nursery containing 30,000 coniferous seedlings, and the 

 extensive plantings under the direction of the Berks 

 County Conservation Association, were of unusual in- 

 structive value to the manv foresters, students and lovers 

 of trees and forests attending the meeting. 



Officers and members of the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation, instructors in forestry from a number of forest 

 schools, forestry students from the Pennsylvania State 

 College and the State Forest Academy at Mont Alto 

 were among the guests, and these, together with the 

 members of the Pennsylvania State Forestry Association 

 and the Berks County Conservation Association, made 

 up a large and enthusiastic party on the several attractive 

 trips which had been arranged. A number who had been 

 present two years previous when the Berks County As- 

 sociation was organized took special interest in seeing 

 the development of its work for conservation and the 

 rapid and substantial growth manifested not alone in tree 

 planting but in the large number of people who ha\e 

 become interested in carrying on the work. 



Dr. J. T. Rothrock, president of the Pennsylvania 

 Forestry Association, presided at the meetings, assisted by 

 Dr. Henry Sturgis Drinker, director, and for three years 

 president of the American Forestry Association, and State 

 Forest Commissioner Robert S. Conklin. Addresses were 

 made by Jonathan Mould, president of the Berks County 

 Conservation Association ; Dr. Joseph Kalbf us, Penn- 

 sylvania State Game Commissioner; James B. Sansom, 



of the Wild Life League of Pennsylvania ; Harris A. 

 Reynolds, secretary of the Massachusetts Forestry As- 

 sociation ; Marion G. Sellers, of the Pennsylvania State 

 Fish and Game Protective Association ; N. R. Buller, of 

 the State Department of Fisheries; Samuel J. Waid, of 

 the Boys" High School of Reading; V. A. E. Daecke, of 

 the State Department of Agriculture; Dr. Filibert Roth, 

 of the L'niversity of Michigan; Dr. Whitmer Stone, of 

 the Pennsylvania State Audubon Society ; Prof. J. A. 

 Ferguson, of the Department of Forestry, State College; 

 and State Foresters Robert S. Conklin, Nelson R. Mc- 

 Naughton and George S. Perry. 



Resolutions were passed thanking all who participated 

 in making the meeting a success ; congratulating the 

 Berks County Conservation Association and the city of 

 Reading on the conservation work accomplished; ex- 

 pressing ai)preciation of the work of the Wild Life 

 League, the United Sportsmen, the State Game and Fish 

 Protective Association and the State Sportsmen Asso- 

 ciation, all of Pennsylvania ; expressing pride in the 

 efficient administration of the forestry interests of the 

 State under the able management of the Forestry De- 

 partment and its experienced head, the Hon. Robert S. 

 Conklin, and earnestly advising against any consolida- 

 tion of the Departments of Forestry, Fish and Game, and 

 Water — as tending to destroy initiative, and efficient and 

 effective management of each and all of them, and as 

 being against the general experience and judgment of 

 experts in other states. 



The resolutions also declared: "We particularly im- 

 press on forest lo\ers the need of immediate attention be- 

 ing given throughout the country to the danger of the 

 spread of the White Pine Blister Rust, a tree plague that 

 is likely to be as devastating and as serious in its results 

 as the Chestnut Blight. The proper time to act is now 

 before the disease has spread." 



THE MISTLETOE A FOREST PEST 



A RECENT study, conducted by the U. S. Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, of the injury done by mistle- 

 toe to coniferous trees in the Northwest indicates 

 that in many regions this is a serious forest problem. 

 The western larch, the western yellow pine, the lodge- 

 pole and the Douglas fir suffer the most. Each of these 

 is attacked by a particular species of mistletoe which 

 gradually reduces the leaf surface of the tree and thus 

 causes a great reduction in growth, both in height and in 

 diameter. Excessive mistletoe infection of the lower 

 branches of the tree may cause the upper portion of the 

 crown to die, giving rise to what is commonly called 

 staghead or spiketop. Severe infection throughout the 

 entire crown often results in the death of the tree. Young 

 seedlings from three to six weeks old may be killed 

 within a comparatively short time after they become 

 irifected. Furthermore, trees weakened by mistletoe in- 

 fection are much more susceptible to attacks from fungi 

 and forest-tree insects. 



