39 



uiiswei' as bcsL \vc can : What aic we j;oing Lu do abijiit it? That 

 is the question. Three conditions lie open before us, as we see it: 



First: Do nolhiiiii; lie down and h'l th(; disease spread as far 

 as it will, and destroy as much i)roperty as it can. It must be 

 acknowledged that there is ample precedent for this coni'.sc. as 

 well as ample scientilic support. Jieyond (juestion, this is the 

 easiest thing to do. 



Second: Conduct scientific investigations of the disease, but 

 make no attempt to conlrol the disease until these investigations 

 yield conclusive resulls. Such a course would unquestionably 

 yield results which wonid be valuable in future epidemics of dis- 

 ease, but it would not save the chestnut trees at this time. The 

 President of the Carnegie Institution, in a recent address, enun- 

 ciated the principle that the results of scientific research must 

 be stated in decades, not in years, ^^'e must investigate the <lis- 

 ease as thoroughly as jiossible, bn( invesi igal ion alone, witliont 

 application, will not save the trees. 



Third: Investigate as thoronghly as jtossible, devote as much 

 mone}^ as possible to research on the fundamental problems re- 

 lating to the disease, but, at the same time, put into force im- 

 mediately whatever measures against the disease appear to l)e 

 most promising, recognizing clearly that there is not time first to 

 prove absolute efficiency. I am informed that, as an immediate 

 result of the recent burning of the Equitable Building in New 

 York city, a special commission was appointed to devise better 

 methods of fighting fires in the congested business section of New 

 York. The appointment of the commission was necessary and 

 will unquestionably yield excellent future results; but I notice 

 that the New York Fire Department, went ahead and did its best 

 to put out the Equitable Building fire, without waiting for the re- 

 ports of any commissions. It appears to me that we are in much 

 the same situation. The fire is burning too fast for us to wait for 

 the reports of experiments which will take from two to ten years 

 time to carry out. AVe must go ahead, using the best methods 

 that we have, and leave the results to the future. (Applause). 



THE CHAIRMAN: I am sure everyone will agree that this 

 talk has been both instructive and interesting, and we are par- 

 ticularly indebted to Professor Collins for stepping in at the 

 eleventh hour, as he has done, and favoring' us so iiej,(^]',,iislv. 





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