62 



These questions should be well considered, particularly the last 

 one, as it is a well-known fact that in a general way the term blight 

 is frequently used for various injuries or diseases of plants causing 

 the whole or parts to wither and die, whether occasioned by insects, 

 fungi, or atmospheric influences. 



We will, in the early summer, occasionally see on various shrubs 

 or trees numerous little twigs and branches dead and decaying and 

 the general saying then will most assuredly be, the shrub or tree is 

 blighted, where a close and thorough investigation will not reveal 

 the slightest sign of blight, merely injuries by frequent climatic 

 changes in the late winter or early spring months. 



I also have observed the same thing where insects were the 

 cause of all the trouble. A little downy species of the aphis, or plant 

 louse, had completely overrun a Stump apple tree and really caused 

 it to die. The owner told me that tree was blighted. But here also 

 no sign of blight could be detected. Nothing but insects caused the 

 tree to die, not blight. 



I merely mention these instances to show how thoroughly and 

 readily a disease or ailment of a tree or shrub is called blight where 

 in reality not the slightest sign of it can be discovered. 



If our people had the understanding and would take the time 

 to investigate the cause of their diseased trees I am fairly satisfied 

 the complaining of trees or shrubs being killed by blight would not 

 be heard as freely as it is today. 



Now under no circumstances should this be construed as mean- 

 ing that I dispute or doubt the existence of blight among our filbert 

 plants. Not at all. Quite the contrary. We have, as stated above, 

 so far no blight-proof filberts and no guarantee that blight will not 

 n eventually attack our plants. We therefore will have to be more or 

 less on the alert, will have to watch our filbert plants as we do our 

 pear or quince orchards or other fruit trees more or less inclined to 

 blight. By no means let blight discourage the planting of filbert or 

 hazel nuts, as I am fully convinced should it eventually appear it will 

 not kill our plants. In fact it will not harm them as much as it will 

 our pear trees, our quinces or other varieties of fruit inclined to that 

 disease, of which we, in spite of blight, plant and maintain large 

 orchards. 



My advice would be to stop all talk on blight and wait until it 

 appears. Do not let us cross the bridge before we come to it but 

 let us watch our trees inclined to blight, particularly our hazel and 

 filbert plants, as they are not blight-proof, but eventually should 

 blight make its appearance let us be ready for it, fully prepared 

 to receive it, not to welcome but to eliminate it. That we can do, 

 that we can accomplish very thoroughly through the operation set 

 forth in the beginning of this paper. 



The President: That is a subject that I feel we ought to 

 have a little discussion on and I would like to hear from Mr, Jones. 



