181 



that there are any liviii.i*" trees left. In fact, there are not many 

 left ill some sections of these States where the tree was "abundant 

 and healthy fifty years ago. 



It appears that tliere are a nninber of ai'encics of destruction 

 other than this new chestnut blight disease, and that these agen- 

 cies have been in operation in the area affected by the disease as 

 well as in areas where this disease is not known to occnr. There- 

 fore, they ninst be taken into consideration and investigated 

 before the problem of protecting the chestnnt can be solved. 



There appear to be other diseases and we knoir that there are 

 insects which have been directly or indirectly the cause of the 

 death of a large percentage of the chestnnt over extensive areas. 



One species of insect, the tAvo-liiied chestnut borer, is perhaps 

 the most destructive insect enemy. It has been investigated 

 and methods of controlling it determined and demonstrated, 

 and there is no lack of [)ublished information on the subject. 



There is also a combination of insects and the chestnut blight 

 disease. Investigations by forest pathologists have revealed the 

 fact that the spores of the chestnut blight find their Avay into the 

 living bark through some wound and that the majority of such 

 wounds appear to be caused by bark-boring insects. 



Becent investigations by forest entomologists tend to verify 

 this general statement, and that a large number of species of 

 insects are involved. 



Inasmuch as the insects make a primary attack and the dis- 

 ease is largely dependent upon insects to continue its destructive 

 work, it is also plain that we have an insect problem of perhaps 

 equal importance to that of the blight itself. 



It is also plain that this interrelation of insects and disease 

 jn-esents a new and (•omi)licated problem wliich will require a 

 great deal of exact scientific research by tlie fores! entomologists 

 and the forest i)atliologists l)efore we shall be warranted in ar- 

 riving at definite conclusions, or in giving s})ecific advice on 

 methods of control and prevention. 



Considerable work has already been done on the general sub- 

 ject of chestnut insects by the West Virginia Agricultural Ex- 

 periuKMit Station and tlie Uureau of Entomology of the U. S. 

 Department of Agriculture since 1893. The published and un- 

 published records of these studies show that three hundred and 



