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  of 
  serious 
  blight 
  infection. 
  West 
  of 
  this 
  line 
  a 
  large 
  portion 
  of 
  

   the 
  state 
  has 
  been 
  scouted, 
  and 
  the 
  remainder 
  will 
  be 
  finished 
  

   early 
  in 
  1913. 
  We 
  have 
  learned 
  by 
  experience 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  win- 
  

   ter, 
  after 
  the 
  fall 
  of 
  the 
  leaves, 
  the 
  best 
  scouting 
  work 
  can 
  be 
  

   done. 
  Persistent 
  leaves 
  and 
  cankers 
  along 
  the 
  trunk 
  are 
  readily 
  

   seen, 
  and 
  more 
  and 
  better 
  work 
  can 
  be 
  accomplished 
  than 
  in 
  

   the 
  summer, 
  except 
  when 
  the 
  snow 
  is 
  very 
  deep. 
  

  

  Blight 
  infections 
  have 
  been 
  found 
  in 
  counties 
  adjacent 
  to 
  

   this 
  line: 
  also 
  in 
  Fayette 
  County, 
  near 
  Connellsville, 
  in 
  War- 
  

   ren 
  County, 
  near 
  Warren, 
  and 
  in 
  Elk 
  County, 
  near 
  St. 
  Mary's. 
  

   These 
  three 
  infections 
  were 
  directly 
  traceable 
  to 
  infected 
  nurs- 
  

   ery 
  stock, 
  and 
  in 
  one 
  case 
  the 
  blight 
  had 
  spread 
  to 
  adjacent 
  

   trees. 
  A 
  large 
  area 
  of 
  diseased 
  chestnut 
  in 
  Somerset 
  County 
  

   illustrates 
  the 
  harm 
  done 
  by 
  shipping 
  infected 
  nursery 
  stock. 
  

   The 
  centre 
  of 
  this 
  infection 
  is 
  a 
  chestnut 
  orchard 
  where 
  about 
  

   100 
  scions 
  from 
  an 
  infected 
  eastern 
  orchard 
  were 
  grafted 
  to 
  

   native 
  sprouts 
  in 
  1908. 
  The 
  percentage 
  of 
  infected 
  trees 
  in 
  

   the 
  orchard 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  scions 
  were 
  obtained, 
  according 
  to 
  

   a 
  count 
  made 
  this 
  Fall, 
  averages 
  80 
  per 
  cent. 
  Evidently 
  these 
  

   scions 
  brought 
  the 
  disease 
  into 
  this 
  region, 
  for 
  the 
  grafts 
  have 
  

   all 
  been 
  killed 
  by 
  the 
  blight 
  and 
  every 
  tree 
  in 
  the 
  orchard 
  is 
  

   killed 
  or 
  infected 
  by 
  disease. 
  On 
  adjoining 
  tracts 
  over 
  5,400 
  

   infected 
  trees 
  have 
  been 
  cut, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  others 
  

   in 
  process 
  of 
  removal, 
  radiating 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  from 
  the 
  or- 
  

   chard 
  as 
  a 
  center 
  to 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  three 
  miles. 
  Another 
  infec- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  143 
  trees 
  was 
  found 
  in 
  Elk 
  County. 
  It 
  is 
  thought 
  that 
  

   three 
  trees 
  at 
  the 
  centre 
  of 
  infection 
  were 
  diseased 
  in 
  1909, 
  al- 
  

   though 
  it 
  is 
  possible 
  that 
  one 
  of 
  these 
  trees 
  was 
  already 
  infected 
  

   in 
  1908. 
  In 
  1910, 
  27 
  additional 
  trees 
  were 
  infected; 
  in 
  1911, 
  

   50 
  additional 
  trees, 
  and 
  in 
  1912, 
  228 
  additional 
  trees. 
  The 
  

   disease 
  spread 
  in 
  all 
  directions 
  from 
  the 
  center 
  of 
  infection 
  to 
  

   a 
  distance 
  of 
  700 
  feet. 
  

  

  These 
  infections 
  are 
  interesting 
  in 
  showing 
  the 
  rate 
  at 
  which 
  

   the 
  blight 
  may 
  travel 
  in 
  healthy 
  timber. 
  

  

  These 
  infections 
  have 
  all 
  been 
  removed 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  ex- 
  

   pectation 
  that 
  by 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  January 
  1913 
  all 
  scattered 
  spot 
  

   infections 
  will 
  be 
  removed 
  from 
  the 
  territory 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  line 
  

   previously 
  mentioned, 
  and 
  that, 
  to 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  our 
  knowledge, 
  

   these 
  western 
  counties 
  will 
  be 
  free 
  from 
  blight. 
  In 
  1913 
  the 
  

   field 
  force 
  will 
  be 
  concentrated 
  on 
  the 
  advance 
  line 
  and 
  the 
  

   work 
  will 
  be 
  carried 
  eastward. 
  The 
  Commission 
  has 
  the 
  power 
  

   to 
  compel 
  the 
  removal 
  of 
  infected 
  trees. 
  In 
  the 
  western 
  part 
  

  

  