146 



United States was insured last year against fire, at an average 

 rate of 1.14 per cent, or four hundred and fifty-six million dollars 

 for fire insurance in one year. 



Now ninety-nine and one-third per cent, of that property was 

 insured against a fire that did not come. American property 

 owners are paying over one per cent, of the value of their prop- 

 erty to be insured against a chance of less than one in one hun- 

 dred and thirty-three. Now it is pretty generally agreed here 

 that the blight has a better than a one one hundred and thirty- 

 third chance of winning out if we sit still. Therefore, business 

 analogy tells us that we can at least afford to pay an average in- 

 surance rate on the risk. Don't forget that this fire has already 

 broken out. If we raise an average insurance rate, for a fight- 

 ing fund, we have about three million four hundred thousand 

 dollars per year coming to us. Thus far the whole American 

 nation has not spent over one per cent, even of that sum, and the 

 blight has already destroyed nearly or quite one thousand times 

 as much as we have spent to stop it. 



If there is any such tiling as constructive conservation, this 

 chestnut blight is blowing the whistle for us to conu; and con- 

 struct, and get about it quickly. 



What Can We Dot 



1. All agree that we can stop the movement of nursery stock. 



2. All agree that we can go home and start careful and thor- 

 ough surveys of actual conditions in our various States. 



3. Every State can start scientific investigation to get more 

 knowledge of the trouble. 



4. Every State can try the cutting-out method of control, ;it 

 least on small outbreaks, if not on a larger scale. 



Therefore every State that has any blight needs an appropria- 

 tion of ten thousand dollars to fifty thousand dollars for the 

 season of 1912, depending on the size of the State. The Federal 

 Government also needs a substantial appropriation. Altogether 

 this will make but a fraction of the common sense fund that 

 would be produced by a one per cent, insurance rate on the pro- 

 perty involved. 



There is no evidence to bring out in proof of the final efficiency 

 of cutting as a cure. On the other hand, actual observation has 



