The Pine Blister Disease 



National and State Legislation and Vigorous Public Action Demanded iti the Effort to Retard the Spread oj the 

 Deadly Canker which Threatens the Death of the White atid Five-Leaved Pines 



STEADY progress in the spread of the white pine fighting the blister disease, and bills will be introduced in 



blister canker or disease, as it is now generally the state legislatures to secure stringent quarantine meas- 



knovvn, is rejiorted from New England, while sev- ures, and to prcnide nionev for investigation and eradica- 



eral new sections where the infection is apparent have tion work. A model law, covering the situation in the most 



recently been discovered. The situation is becoming more eftective manner, is now being prepared bv a committee 



and more serious, and it is now apparent that if the ex- of experts, and will soon be available. .\t the same time 



treniely valuable white and five-leaved pines of this four e.xperts from all the states in the white pine belt, 



country and Canada can possibly be saved, no time must together with four from each of the infected provinces of 



be lost in conducting a campaign against the disease. Canada, constitute a general committee, the aim of which 



Experts agree that there should be national and state is a vigorous campaign against the disease, 



quarantines to prevent the shipment of white pine, and The American Forestry Association will work in 



the currants and gooseberries from which the disease cooperation with this committee, will give widespread 



spreads to the pines. A state quarantine is necessary so jniblicity to the fact that the disease exists, what it has 



that the disease shall not be carried by shipments from already done, and what means should be taken to combat 



one state to another, or even from one infected section of it, and will also do all in its power to aid in obtaining the 



a state to another region in the same state, while a I'ederal desired state and national legislation, and in endea\oring 



quarantine is needed so that a dead line mav be estab- to secure the quarantine regulations which shall be best 



lished west of the Mississippi ii.iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiimiiimiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiMii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^ suited tor the situation as it 



River in all the Great Plains j ^^^^L TO A FOREST CONFERENCE I "-^'^1' '" '''"''}'' ''f''' 



states, m the effort to prevent | | At a meeting of represen- 



the disease spreading to the I /^>HARLES LATHROP PACK, President of the | j.^^^^.^^ ^f jj^^ American For- 



, , , r = I American Forestry Association, has issued the = ... , ^ 



very valuable sugar pme of | ^^ , ,, • . ^ j. I estry Association and of mem- 



the Pacific Coast. i ,, „ ^ . . . ,,_,., .,,......= bers of the Committee for 



1 bxpert investigation establishes the fact that the = 



State and national appro- | white pine and other five-leaved pines of the United | the Suppression of the Blister 



priations will be needed to | States and Canada are threatened with extinction by the | IJisease, at .Mbany. New York. 



carrv on the work of scout- | white pine blister canker, a fungus disease imported from | on November 20 and 21, and 



ing to discover infected pines, I ^"'"P'^" ^'^^^''^ '^<= '^'^^^^^ ^^^ '^"'^" '""""^ '" ^" ^^^ I again in New York Citv on 



, , . , 1 New England States, most of the eastern and northern i , ' , , , , ' , 



currants and gooseberries ; for | ^^^^^^ -^ ^^^^ ^^-^^ ^.^^ j,^H ^„^ -^ q^,^^;^ ^^^ Q^^^ec I l)^'^-^^'"ber 4, plans for the 



investigative work in study- | provinces. It is spreading steadily and unless checked | warfare against the blister 



ing the disease and for eradi- I will wipe out our white pines, valued at $260,000,000, as | disease were discussed and 



eating it wherever there is an | our chestnuts are being wiped out by the chestnut blight. | adopted, and at the forestry 



outbreak. This work of eradi- I " The area east of the Hudson River is generally infected. | conference at Washington, 



cation will consist of cutting | Whether the disease can be controlled in that area or | D c., on January 18 and 19, 



, ., , , 1^- i 1 ' = not depends upon whether currant and gooseberry bushes = .,., i „ .i " ,,„ '• „r .. „ 



out wild and cultivated cur- = , ,. ,u T- . ^ ^ . L ■ = under the auspices ot the 



= on which the disease propagates and spreads to the pines = , „ 



rants and gooseberries when | can be eradicated. I American horestry Associa- 



infected or when they are I .. _ , .>. »,■■■• j .u xi j t>- I tion. the sub-committees from 



E Between the Mississippi and the Hudson Rivers we = 



considered likely, owing to | have an area infected with scattering infections, but | ^ach state, members of delega- 



tlieir proximity to an infected | throughout which the disease may be controlled and per- | tions appointed by state gover- 



area, to become diseased and 1 haps suppressed by the enforcement of rigid quarantine | nors and by the Dominion of 



thus to aid in spreading the I ^^^^ ^"'^ ^"^''y Possible and proper precaution. West of | Canada, officials and members 



, . '', = the Mississippi is an area which as far as is known is not = r ^i \ • t- .. 



canker to nines near them = • , , , ,• , ^ • i ^ j ■ , , i ot the American i^orestry 



JJ111C3 iitai Liiciii. _ ygj mfected but which may be infected unless state | 



This kind of work is hard, | quarantine laws keep out of it white pine seedlings and | Association, will report the 

 slow and laborious, and the | currant and gooseberry stock which may be diseased. | progress of the campaign and 

 expense of it is considerable. | " in view of the imminent danger of the destruction j take up for general discussion 

 It is. however, the only way I of the white pines, the American Forestry Association | and action the most important 

 by which the rapid spread of | will call upon the governors of all states in the white pine | details regarding it. 

 ,1 1- 1 ^ , , = belt and the government of Canada to send delegations to = r^, • i r li- 

 the disease mav be retarded. = „, , . v^ ^ . ^^ j • » *• ,c \ c = 1 he aid of every iiublic 



I Washington, D.C., to attend an international forest confer- | - ' 



There will soon be sub- | ence to discuss measures and formulate plans for fighting | spirited citizen is needed to 



niitted to Congress a bill pro- j the disease, suppressing it, if possible, and saving the | m;ike this work successful, 



viding for an appropriation, I white pines of the present and of the future. This con- | -j],^. chestnut blight, to which 



,1.1 r 0.1 nnn r^r^r, r = ference will take place on Thursday and Friday, January = ., 



doubtless for $1,000,000, for | ig ,„d 19, on the occasion of the Thirty-seventh Annual 1 ^'"t little attention was paid 



Federal cooperation with the | Meeting of the American Forestry Association." | when it first appeared, was 



states of the white pine belt in liiiiiiiiiiiiniiii iiiiiiiiin iiiiiiii i iiiiiin i i i i i g beyond control when full 



74S 



