110 



if we are going to throw up our liauds in impotent helplessness 

 and say ''It is the will of Allah," why would he restrict the move- 

 ment of nursery stock? If there is any real reason for that, let us 

 have it. I do not remember that the Professor stated his reason. 

 That is one of the questions his paper raised in my mind. I 

 do not wish to take more of your time, because these ought to 

 be only short discussions. If Professor Stewart would be good 

 enough to tell us why he thinks we ought to restrict the move- 

 ment of nursery stock and let everything else go wide open, I for 

 one would like to know it, and I believe there are some others 

 who would be interested in hearing it. (Applause). 



Dli. STEWART: I will answer that questioji in this way: 

 That this diseased nursery slock may transmit the disease hmg 

 distances. In that way the disease may lake long jumps, clear 

 across the continent. 



MR. WILLIAMS: I understand from the Professor's paper 

 that birds likewise take long jumps. \Vhat will he do with that 

 side of the case? 



DR. STEWART: We can do nothing there. 



MR. A. THALHEIMER, of Reading, Pa.: Gentlemen, I 

 rise to protect the woodpecker. (Applause). [ own probably 

 in small woodland patches, tAvo hundred acres of chestnut. Since 

 this blight question first came up, I have gone through nearly 

 all my trees and I have not found a single tree that was diseased, 

 with the exception of some near the city. I have about one hun- 

 dred and twenty acres near the city, and of course, the boys,— 

 maybe some of you have done that, — want to get the chestnuts. 

 They bunip the trees and some of them are bruised in that way. 

 P>ut my section is full of woodpeckers. They are not inimi- 

 grauts; they are stationary and they have not destroyed or in- 

 fected any trees. I think it takes a long time to get at the bot- 

 tom of it, and lind what really is the cause. I desire to inform 

 you of a subject in which I took a deep interest, — one which 

 leads to this matter. During the war, in traveling through Vir- 

 ginia or through Maryland, you all know how scrub oaks are 

 scattered over all that country. A scrub oak is a very small tree 

 and does not bear any fruit at all. I often wondered where they 



