February, '12] PLANT DISEASES, DISCUSSION 81 



Mr. Headlee of Kansas: This is a long list of troubles for which 

 the inspector must look, and personally I am in need of available in- 

 formation touching their relative importance. A publication taking 

 up their recognition marks under different conditions, their virulence, 

 their life economy, and their frequency on incoming stock, which 

 could be used as the inspector's handbook, would greatly increase 

 the efficiency of the service and afford correspondingly greater pro- 

 tection. 



Member: Mr. Headlee's suggestion for a hand-book is just what 

 I have had in mind. I notice that out of six diseases, three or four 

 of them are on the Conifer. I think that a little hand-book of col- 

 ored illustrations will give the inspector something else to look for 

 besides the San Jose Scale, because you can find that too easily. We 

 want something we cannot find so readily. 



Mr. Fernald of Mass. : I had a little personal opportunity to see 

 the white pine blister rust, but not enough to cause me to become 

 very familiar with it, and I have had an opportunity to look over some 

 of the papers which have been published on the subject, both in this 

 country and in Europe, but there is one point which I have not seen 

 brought out very definitely or very positively, and it might be of 

 interest to have that brought up at this time. Exactly how much 

 damage as regards the life of the tree does this disease cause? Even 

 when we find it at the age of three years or thereon and trees of ten 

 years of age, which still have the disease, does it ultimately kill the 

 tree, or does it result in a crippling merely of the tree, or what can we 

 expect of it, if it is left to take care of itself? 



Mr. Spaulding: As a general thing so far as mj' experience goes, 

 it kills all trees. Those trees that live to an advanced stage are rather 

 exceptional. Usually quite a number of affected trees, die the first 

 year, and two or three cases live over until the next year, and they 

 decrease still more the next year, — but there may be some vigorous 

 cases that live longer, up to possibly twenty years of age; but the 

 significant fact there, is, according to a French writer, — that when a 

 tree reaches an age of twenty or thirty years, it is almost sure to be 

 broken over by the wind, so that unless the tree entirely outgrows it, 

 it is finally killed. It only attacks, so far as we know, one-year-old 

 wood. It may attack old trees. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



{To he continued) 



