7y 



I'lic wi'ih'i- li;is since made ;i careriil liiiiil lor /-^ik/oI li'ni i/i/r(js(i 

 and lias s|»e(iinens of i( on two s|»eci<'S of oak (•ollecle(l in (Jou- 

 iiccLicul and llio Oisli-ict of (.'oliiiiihiii. Cultures liavu boon made 

 <d' llie«t', and from J)'uii)orllic parufiilUui on cliestuut oMaiued 

 from the same localities. Our studies of these cultures and 

 specimens from \arions localilii'S arc; not yet compl(;te, hut llicy 

 have j^'oue far enough U) say definitely that Diaportltc jKini.silini 

 l)('louj;s in the same; j^cnus with the Kudothia fJ!jros<i on oak, ami 

 at least is very closely related to it, thoui^h at present my oi»inion 

 is that they are distinct si)ecies. Professor Farlow has also 

 made further studies, and I have presented his paper on the 

 subject. 



AVe have not been able so far to find in literature a reference to 

 Eiidothia gyrosa ou chestnut in this country before the outbreak 

 of DiaportJiG parasitica in 1904. Neither have we found speci- 

 mens in an herbarium that were collected before that date. We 

 have not, however, quite exhausted all opportunities for investi- 

 gation along this line. If it is ever proved that our Endothia 

 f/i/rosa on the oak is exact!}' the same as Diaporflic parasitica on 

 the chestnut, (tf course it is at once apparent that Diaporthc pant- 

 sitica is a native and not an imported fungus. 



A second observation that leads me to believe that Dlnporllu; 

 parasititca is a native species is the fact that frequently in Con- 

 necticut I have found it as a languishing parasite on the roots 

 and base of trees, where it was doing no very apparent harm, 

 and this is somewhat the way Endothia r/ijrosa occurs on oak 

 here and elsewhere, and is also the waj^ that the so-called En- 

 dothia fiyrosa on chestnut acts in Europe, where it causes no 

 particular trouble. TJiis makes me believe that these 

 particular occurrences of Diaporthc parasitica in Connecticut 

 represent the fungus in its native condition as an inconspicuous 

 parasite, rather than as an introduciMl pest that is bound to kill 

 those particular trees. Likewise, I believe that at least part of 

 the so-called spread of the disease in this country is merely an 

 unusual development of the fungus which has existed there for 

 years in an inconspicuous way. 



A third indication that the chestnut blight is a native species 

 is a comparison of the situation of Endothia gj/rosa in Europe 

 ^nd in this coiintr;^. In Europe Endothia gyrosa has been re- 



