172 



MR. DETWILEll : Mr. Besley asked for some definite facts 

 concerning the efficiency of tlie cntting-oiit method. I have 

 some facts, which are not conclusive, but may be of interest. 

 Mr. Peirce, Secretary of the Commission, cut several hundred 

 trees on his property, near Ardmore, last year. The stumps were 

 barked to the ground and tlie sprouts came up abundantly. 

 Two Aveeks ago I sent one of our fields agents to investigate thor- 

 oughly, and he reported being unable to find a single sprout dis- 

 eased, and tliose si)routs are now a 3'ear old. It may be that 

 after two years they will be diseased, but at the present time 

 they are still sound. 



THE CHAIRMAN: Virginia. 



DR. 11. S. REED: Mr. Chairiiiau : TJie Experiment Station 

 has studied the chestnut blight in a small way, since we have 

 had, up to the present time, very little complaint of diseased 

 chestnut in the State. We have heard, though, from several 

 here at this meeting, that there are a few centres of infection in 

 the State. We know the disease is present just across the Poto- 

 mac from Washington, and we know it is present in Bedford 

 county, at Foutella. AVe have reports, however, which have not 

 been fuliy verified, of the disease in Albemarle county and also 

 in Henrico county, near Richmond. I went over the last named 

 territory with Dr. ]\Ietcalf last fall, but we were unable to find 

 the disease in the field. We have, however, in the State, a dis- 

 ease wliieh has existed for about twenty years and has caused a 

 very considerable destruction of chestnut timber, south and 

 east of Lyucliburg. T visited this region about ten days ago 

 and found there a fungous disease, of whicli we have not yet been 

 able to determine the exact nature. Some of ihe genfleinen who 

 are liere have found the Diaporthc fungus near Lynchburg. If 

 the hiaporfJir fungus has been there for the last twenty years, 

 it is evident flial it is acting somewliat differently from what 

 it is acl'ng in the North. We have this question under observa- 

 tion. Tlie diseased areas are at present confined to the Piedmont 

 district; none has been reported from higher elevations in the 

 Blue Ridge or Allegheny mountains in the State. There is a 

 bill before the Legislature now in session, asking for a small ap- 

 propriation to be used against this disease, which will not per- 



