198 



those stumps have come up in a flue, thrifty manner. To thite 

 they show no infection. Tliat is not complete evidence, of course, 

 but it is an indication. It is an indication that these stumps 

 will sprout again and they may possibly be kept free from infec- 

 tion. How much easier it is to go back to the stumps and cut 

 the small sprouts than to search for the disease on tall forest 

 trees. "Supposing that it might be possible to eradicate all ad- 

 vance infections, what method is proposed that is at all feas- 

 ible for combating the disease in its main line of advance? All 

 of the foresters connected with the United States Government 

 and the entire Army of the United States wonhl be utterly power- 

 less to oppose its progress." 



I would like to ask how that was arrived at. By what process 

 of calculation has tliat statement been derived? I would like to 

 ask what method they propose. Do they have a method? Is 

 there any method that is worth anything at all? Now if there 

 is, let us use it. If there is not, let us look for one. We are in- 

 terested in looking for one. We claim no method that is of great 

 virtue, but we do claim tliat ^\•e are interested in looking for a 

 method, and that is the thing we want to do. 



"When an appropriation is asked for, it is customary to point 

 to some good reason for hope of success provided the appropria- 

 tion is obtained." In other words, yon must solve your prob- 

 lem before you get the money to solve it. If that is the way the 

 States of the United States are doing business, then I think 

 they had better reform their methods of business quickly. If 

 that is the way the scientific men of the United States do their 

 Avork, I think it is well for them to get wise. 



Now Mr. Chairman, I do not want to be misconstrued. I 

 want to be fair to these gentlemen, and I am fair. But I doul)t 

 whether it is just the thing for them, in this present uncertain 

 state of our knowledge, to stand as they do, utterly oblivious to 

 any decent attempt to do anything, to relegate that all to the 

 shades and simply conclude, as a matter of a priori inference, 

 that this thing cannot be done, and therefore drop the whole 

 business. 



I would like to raise another question. I would like to ask 

 the gentlemen from around the neighborhood of New York city 



