110 



agencies of nature will let liiiu do it. Of course, the agencies of 

 nature are against us now in this chestnut disease fight. Strips 

 of forest in Germany often a half mile wide were left Avhile the 

 cleared areas ranged from a dozen rods up to a quarter mile in 

 width, depending both upon the age of the forest and topography. 

 The Government having the right of condemnation entered pri- 

 vate holdings at any time and forced owners to cut infested areas. 

 It is fortunate that the act approj^riating money for the control 

 of the chestnut blight gives this same right. AVe must, however, 

 proceed with great care in condemning trees and timber so as not 

 to arouse the opposition of the people to the Avork of blight eradi- 

 cation and the introduction of methods of management Avhich 

 will perpetuate best the remaining chestnut and other hard 

 woods. 



The two pests described above are unlike, of course, a fungous 

 disease such as the blight. Insects are always more easily con- 

 trolled than fungous diseases. I mention this last one to bring 

 out esx)ecially the fact that Germany used a definite system of 

 forest management to overcome a great devastation of the forest 

 and that successfully. 



Along the northern and western extension of the blight there 

 should be as clean a cutting of the worst infested areas as the 

 market will justify. The creation of a belt or zone in Avhich 

 there is no chestnut is, probably, not practicable in combating 

 this disease, which is carried both by birds and insects. In lo- 

 calities Avhere there are good markets for ties, jnine props, acid 

 wood, and like small products, there will be no question as to 

 the practicability of clean-cutting over considerable areas. 

 Where a proper market exists the possibilities of future returns 

 under the system of coppice will be most excellent in our hard 

 wood forests. The United States Forest Service, in a recent 

 statement as to the possibilities of this sprout land, estimates 

 returns as folloA^s : 



"Good quality of oak and chestnut sprout land in the Appala- 

 chians can be purchased often for less than five dollars an acre. 

 Gareful study shoAvs that in fifty years these lands will yield 

 seven hundred cross ties to the acre. Assuming that tw^o cents 

 an acre each year will pay the costs of efficient fire protection 

 and that a cent and a quarter per acre w ill pay the annual taxes, 



