transportation of haikcMl and uiiharked products of diseased 

 trees, two [joints wliicli liave a direct bearing on cost and 

 ellicieiicy of control. 



The woodpecker and other birds have b<M*n blamed for spread- 

 ing the bliuhr, when in ni.\' oj»inion ii is nMtrc apt lo be tiie fault 

 of insects. Further investigations may prove this to be as luuch 

 a problem for the entomologist as for the pathologist. We feel 

 a sentimental interest in the birds. Nevertheless, this does not 

 frei^ us I'roiu also invest igat ing iheiu to lind out stientilically 

 their exact j-elalion to i he sprt'ad of this disease. In ot le-r \\or<ls, 

 we must investigate everything, whether we belicne on<; thing 

 or another. At the [jresent time three lield agent,s have been de- 

 tailed to make special studies of lield conditions for the purp<»se 

 of securing further iact.s relative to several of these probb-ms. 

 Many lines of co-operative investigation and experiment are in 

 progress and others are planned. Detailed knowledge of the 

 agents causing infection and the time of year when infection 

 occurs, which will be obtained as the work progresses, will un- 

 doubtedly assist in making control more ettective and in cheapen- 

 ing the cost of the work of eradication, b}- pointing out the 

 simi»lest methods rcMpiired to give satisfactory results. In the 

 meantime, however, it is our belief that sanitation is [»ractical 

 and should give good results in checking the spread of this dis- 

 eiise as it has done in the case of other diseases. (Quarantine 

 measures proved successful in checking outbreaks of yellow 

 fever <ifirr the ntoscjuito ja/.y con ricttd. It is more than prob- 

 able that by destroying the diseased bark of infected trees in the 

 eastern half of the Stat«, we shall also destroy the agency 

 which spreads the disease. 



In my opinion, the big problem which confronts us and which 

 more than any other will deterndne the success or failure of 

 our undertaking is the (piestion of ju^otitable utilization. A 

 satisfactory market f<u' the various classes of chestnut wood 

 wliich must be disposed of as a result of the cutting-our method 

 of contr<d, appears to me to be vital to the ultimate success of 

 the plan. The active co-operation of chestnut owners cannot 

 be willingly secured if they must do the cutting at a loss. We 

 have found that owners who were reluctant to cut have l)eeii 



