BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 191 



in^ the farmer's labor and teams busy diirinfr the winter, and giving 

 him a profitable income from much of his land, which is suitable 

 only for the growing of timber. White pine has been used extensively 

 in reforestation and produces the most profitable forest crop that 

 can be grown in the infected regions. 



The development of practical control measures will not assure the 

 continued production of white pine unless they are applied generally 

 by pine owners within the next few years. To accomplish the general 

 control of the disease, pine owners must be convinced of the danger 

 from blister rust, must be instructed in the best methods of control, 

 and persuaded to take immediate and concerted action to save their 

 pine crops. Any pine owner can apply control measures, but to do 

 effective work he must be able to identify the disease in its early 

 stages and to recognize the different kinds of wnld currants and 

 gooseberries, as well as knoAv the habits of growth and the best 

 methods for finding and removing these bushes. The lack of this 

 special knowledge on the part of the average pine owner, coupled 

 with the deceptive nature of the disease, makes it difficult for him 

 to realize the danger and the need for prompt action to protect the 

 white-pine crop in infected regions. To meet this situation an in- 

 tensive campaign of education and demonstration has been under- 

 taken in cooperation with the Northeastern and Lake States that will 

 bring to pine owners, through personal contact, the information and 

 instruction they need to combat the blister rust adequately and pre- 

 vent extensive damage to the white-pine crop. 



The outstanding feature of the white-pine blister-rust situation 

 during the past year was the discovery of this destructive disease in 

 southwestern British Columbia and the Puget Sound region of 

 Washington. This bureau, in cooperation with State and Canadian 

 authorities, has taken prompt action to determine the extent of the 

 infected area and, if possible, to control or eradicate this new out- 

 break of the disease. The age of infections found on pine trees proves 

 that the disease w^as present in British Columbia in 1916. prior to 

 the enactment of the Canadian blister-rust quarantine, and the rust 

 has extended its range into the State of Washington. 



The Federal quarantine (Xo. 26) which prohibits the movement 

 of blister-rust host plants from States east of and including ^Minne- 

 sota. Iowa. Arkansas, and Louisiana and interstate to points Avest cf 

 the quarantine line has been continued, to prevent the introduction 

 and spread of the disease in iminfected regions. In cooperation 

 Avith the Federal Horticultural Board 70,180 shipments of nursery 

 stock were examined for blister-rust host plants during the past 

 year, and 135 shipments in violation of the quarantine were inter- 

 cepted. These were returned to the consignor or destroyed by the 

 consignee or State officials. The number of violations by nursery- 

 men was reduced from 81 per cent in the spring of 1921 to 51 per 

 cent in the spring of 1922. The increasing effectiveness of the quar- 

 antine is shown by this marked reduction in the number of violations 

 by nurserymen. Practically all violations are found to result from 

 neglect or carelessness, and this condition, when brought to the atten- 

 tion of nurserymen, has been corrected through improved business 

 methods. In conducting this work cooperation has been given by 

 the Post Office Department, common carriers, nurserymen, and State 

 officials. 



