﻿121 
  

  

  Februarj' 
  20th 
  and 
  21st 
  and 
  I 
  have 
  directed 
  a 
  representative 
  of 
  this 
  Depart- 
  

   ment 
  to 
  be 
  present. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  C. 
  H. 
  Pettis, 
  Superintendent 
  of 
  Forests 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  Conservation 
  Com- 
  

   mission, 
  joined 
  in 
  our 
  conference 
  liere 
  and 
  I 
  learn 
  that 
  someone 
  will 
  be 
  sent 
  

   from 
  that 
  Commission 
  to 
  Harrisburg. 
  

  

  We 
  have 
  in 
  the 
  hickory 
  bark 
  borer 
  and 
  the 
  chestnut 
  bark 
  disease, 
  two 
  

   very 
  serious 
  propositions, 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  which 
  I 
  fully 
  appreciate. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not 
  clear 
  to 
  me 
  what 
  methods 
  should 
  or 
  can 
  be 
  adopted 
  which 
  will 
  be 
  produc- 
  

   tive 
  of 
  the 
  greatest 
  good. 
  

  

  Any 
  suggestions 
  that 
  your 
  Association 
  make 
  will 
  be 
  highly 
  appreciated. 
  

   As 
  soon 
  as 
  I 
  learn 
  of 
  the 
  result 
  of 
  the 
  conclusions 
  at 
  the 
  Harrisburg 
  meeting, 
  

   I 
  shall 
  be 
  pleased 
  to 
  take 
  the 
  subject 
  up 
  again. 
  

  

  Very 
  truly 
  yours, 
  

  

  Calvix 
  J. 
  Husox, 
  

  

  Commissioner. 
  

  

  LETTER 
  FROM 
  THE 
  SECRETARY 
  TO 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  AGRICULTURE. 
  

  

  March 
  16th, 
  1912. 
  

   Hon. 
  Calvin 
  J. 
  Huson, 
  

  

  Commissioner 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  

   Albany, 
  New 
  York, 
  

   Dear 
  Sir: 
  — 
  

  

  Your 
  letter 
  of 
  February 
  7th 
  in 
  reply 
  to 
  mine 
  of 
  an 
  earlier 
  date 
  in 
  relation 
  

   to 
  the 
  hickory 
  bark 
  beetle 
  has 
  been 
  too 
  long 
  unanswered 
  owing 
  to 
  a 
  rush 
  of 
  

   professional 
  and 
  other 
  work. 
  I 
  regret 
  this 
  delay 
  as 
  I 
  would 
  like 
  to 
  do 
  all 
  that 
  

   I 
  can 
  to 
  expedite 
  the 
  work 
  which 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  as 
  soon 
  as 
  possible 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   further 
  damage 
  from 
  this 
  insect. 
  

  

  If 
  I 
  am 
  not 
  mistaken 
  Chapter 
  798 
  of 
  the 
  laws 
  of 
  1911 
  is 
  a 
  new 
  law 
  under 
  

   which 
  the 
  Department 
  has 
  not 
  previously 
  worked 
  and 
  which 
  states 
  specifically 
  

   that 
  "no 
  person 
  shall 
  knowingly 
  or 
  willfully 
  keep 
  any 
  plants 
  or 
  vines 
  affected 
  

   or 
  infected 
  with 
  — 
  or 
  other 
  insect 
  pest 
  or 
  fungous 
  disease 
  dangerously 
  injurious 
  

   to 
  or 
  destructive 
  of 
  the 
  trees, 
  shrubs 
  or 
  other 
  plants; 
  every 
  such 
  tree, 
  shrub, 
  

   plant 
  or 
  vine 
  shall 
  be 
  a 
  public 
  nuisance, 
  etc 
  " 
  It 
  also 
  states 
  that 
  if 
  the 
  Com- 
  

   missioner 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  is 
  notified 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  any 
  such 
  pests 
  he 
  shall 
  

   take 
  such 
  action 
  as 
  the 
  law 
  provides, 
  and 
  the 
  law 
  provides 
  for 
  the 
  destruction 
  

   or 
  treatment 
  of 
  diseased 
  trees. 
  

  

  This 
  law 
  appears 
  to 
  be 
  not 
  confined 
  in 
  its 
  application 
  to 
  nursery 
  stock, 
  and 
  

   in 
  this 
  view 
  I 
  am 
  supported 
  by 
  such 
  men 
  as 
  Dr. 
  E. 
  P. 
  Felt, 
  State 
  Entomolo- 
  

   gist, 
  and 
  Forester 
  Merkel 
  of 
  the 
  New 
  York 
  Zoological 
  Park. 
  It 
  appears 
  that 
  

   the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  not 
  only 
  has 
  the 
  right 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  his 
  duty 
  to 
  

   take 
  action 
  under 
  this 
  law 
  when 
  his 
  attention 
  is 
  called 
  to 
  a 
  matter 
  such 
  as 
  

   the 
  one 
  in 
  question. 
  

  

  The 
  methods 
  of 
  procedure 
  under 
  this 
  law 
  seem 
  to 
  be 
  sufficiently 
  clear. 
  

   Wherever 
  Infected 
  trees 
  are 
  known 
  to 
  exist 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  is 
  directed 
  to 
  

   order 
  the 
  owners 
  thereof 
  to 
  destroy 
  them. 
  Failure 
  to 
  obey 
  these 
  orders 
  con- 
  

   stitutes 
  a 
  misdemeanor 
  and 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  may 
  have 
  his 
  orders 
  carried 
  out 
  

   by 
  his 
  own 
  agents. 
  

  

  I 
  am 
  glad 
  that 
  you 
  fully 
  appreciate 
  the 
  serious 
  nature 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  which 
  

   threatens 
  great 
  destruction 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  our 
  most 
  valuable 
  timber 
  and 
  nut 
  trees 
  

   and 
  I 
  hope 
  that 
  no 
  obstacle 
  will 
  be 
  allowed 
  to 
  stand 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  the 
  enforce- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  the 
  full 
  intent 
  of 
  the 
  law. 
  

  

  This 
  Association 
  will 
  aid 
  such 
  work 
  in 
  any 
  way 
  in 
  its 
  power. 
  

  

  