NOTES 635 



Notes from District i 



Plans are being made by Dr. J. R. Weir, in District i, to continue the 

 eradication work on the white-pine bhster rust this season. The Mis- 

 soula laboratory will have charge of the work in the States of Montana. 

 Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and parts of Washington. Dr. Alfred 

 H. W. Povah, Assistant Professor of Forest P)Otany at Syracuse Uni- 

 versity, will handle the details of the survey, with headquarters at 

 iVIissoula. The region will be divided between six or seven men, who 

 will be continually in the field. The work will begin May i and end 

 about October i. 



The regular work in forest pathology for the season wall be chiefly 

 centered on rots of cedar in relation to the pole industry, relation of 

 fire to decay, etc., and other problems bearing on the management of 

 white pine and larch. Mr. E. E. Hubert will handle a field party on 

 this work in the western end of the district. Investigations on the life 

 histories of various rust fungi of conifers which are known to be in- 

 jurious to seedlings and transplants are being continued this year. 



The Office of Silviculture, in District r, plans on making a study of 

 the brush-disposal problems on several of the forests in the Inland 

 Empire region, under the direction of H. L. Baker. The aim will be 

 to determine the silvicultural results that are obtained when the brush 

 is piled and burned later and when it is thrown directly on to fires. 

 Data will be collected for different sites and types under \arying 

 weather conditions for both systems of brush disposal. A comparison 

 will be made of the percentage of trees killed or injured, the amount of 

 ground burned over per acre, costs, and conditions under which both 

 systems of brush disposal are applicable. The chief objection to the 

 system of brush disposal where fires are started and the brush thrown 

 on to them seems to be the initial cost and the difficulty experienced in 

 starting the fires. Experiments conducted on the Selway Forest, where 

 it is difficult to burn piled brush because of the frequent rains, indicate 

 that far better silvicultural results are obtained where the brusli is 

 thrown directly on to the fires. It is hoped to overcome the chief ob- 

 jection to this system of brush disposal by using a Hauck blow-torch 

 for starting the fires. This outfit is commonly used to thaw out frozen 

 ]>il)es and railroad switches. It is being used by the Potlatch lainiber 

 Company to burn out sttmips. Extensive experiments will l)e made 

 with this new brusli l)urner. 



