branches of white pine trees. Trees of all ages arc attacked. 

 Small trees are often killed outright. On large trees many of the 

 branches die. The disease is especially troublesome in nurseries. 

 In Holland and northwestern Germany it has caused much dam- 

 age. Diseased trees are recognized by the conspicuous yellow spore 

 masses which break through the bark about June 1. The affected 

 bark or branch is usually abnormally enlarged at the point of 

 attack. 



" In another stage of its life cycle the blister rust fungus at- 

 tacks plants of the Ribes group (currants and gooseberries both 

 wild and cultivated), producing a conspicuous red rust on the 

 under surface of the leaves during August and September. 

 Neither currants nor gooseberries are seriously injured. 



" Fortunately, the disease cannot spread from one pine tree to 

 another. It must first go from pines to Ribes (in May or June) 

 and from Ribes back to pines (in August or September). In the 

 trunks of pine trees the fungus is perennial, but on Ribes it affects 

 only the leaves and cannot live over winter. In order that the 

 disease may spread it is necessary to have both white pines and 

 Ribes growing near together. Accordingly the best method of pro- 

 tecting pine trees against the disease consists in destroying all 

 currants and gooseberries in the vicinity." 



When the blister rust was found a few weeks ago in one of the 

 Lake Clear nurseries of the State of New York, and reported by 

 Mr. C. R. Pettis, a. State forester, after identification had been 

 verified by Dr. Perley Spaulding of the United States Department 

 of Agriculture, Forest, Fish and Game Commissioner Whipple 

 immediately called a conference of foresters and other officials of 

 this and adjacent States, including also' officials of the National 

 Department of Agriculture. The following persons attended: 



Mr. W. 0. Filley, State Forester, New Haven, Conn. 

 A. F. Hawes, State Forester, Burlington, Vt. 

 Alfred Gaskill, State Forester, Trenton, N. J. 

 F. W. Rane, State Forester, Boston, Mass. 

 €. R. Pettis, State Forester, Albany, N. Y. 

 Dr. Perley Spaulding, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washing- 

 ton, D. C. 



Dr. Harvey Metcalf, Bureau of Plant Industry, Washington,D.C. 

 Raphael Zon, Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 

 Hon. R. A. Pearson, Commissioner of Agriculture, Albany, N.Y. 



5 



