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United SUilcs I )(|»;iii incni of Ai^J'iruli iirc, 



JIureuu of i'Jaiu iiidusiry, 

 Office of Chief of Bureau. 



Washington, D. C, February 19, 1912. 



MEMOKANDUM FOK THE SECRETARY. 



Regarding present status of chestnut hark disease. 



This disease, wliich was first recognized as serious in tlie 

 vicinity of New Yoric City in 1904:, appears to have been present 

 on J^ong- Island as early as ly9o. Its origin is unknown, but 

 there is some evidence to indicate that it was imported from 

 the orient with the Japanese cliestnut. In soutliwestern Con- 

 necticut, southeastern New York and northeastern New Jersey 

 a majority of the chestnut trees are already dead from the bark 

 disease. Outside of tliis area in western Connecticut, eastern New 

 York, western New Jersey, southeastern Pennsylvania, northern 

 Delaware, and northeastern Maryland the chest nut trees arc 

 l)ractically all infected. Outside of this area fi-oni tlie northern 

 border of .Massacliusetts and from Saratoga county. New York, 

 south westward to the western border of Pennsylvania and tlie 

 southern border of Virginia, scattering areas of infection are 

 known to occur and ma}^ be expected at any point. So far as is 

 known the disease is limited to the true chestnuts and chin(iua- 

 pins. It is not certainly knoAvn to occur on oaks, beeches, horse 

 chestnuts, or other forest trees. 



The bark disease appears ultimately to exterminate the chest- 

 nut trees in any locality which it infests. The linancial loss 

 from this disease in and about New York (Mty Avas estimated 

 three years ago at between five and ten million dollars. A conser- 

 vative estimate made in 1911 by tlie experts in the IJureau of 

 Plant Industry indicates a loss in the states infected, up to that 

 time, of twenty-five million dollars. The heaviest damage thus 

 far has been to chestnut trees in localities where this species 

 is grown chiefly for ornamental purposes, rather than for lum- 

 ber. It has now reached a point in its spread where the entire 

 chestnut timber belt (^f the United States, comprising portions 



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