197 



against what possibly iiii;;lit Ik- done al Lliis iiuietiiij^', aiul was 

 accompaiiiod b}^ such a h'tl«'i- as I ratiicr cxpoctxHl would nev(^r l)e 

 written. 



The first statonient is: "It is impossibh^ to locate all advance 

 infections, tliese not beinj; apparent even under ch)se inspection." 



I deny the assertion. Advance infections can readily be found 

 if the man looking for them knows his l)usiness. In lime every 

 tree will develop to such a stage in ils infccticui that it may 

 readily be detected. There is no hidden mystery about this 

 disease. All you have to do is to know it and find it. It takes 

 probably repeated searching, but when you go out for a thing 

 you search until you get it. Vou do not look for it in a des- 

 ultory way and then say ''IL is impossible to lind all advanci- 

 infections.'' 



""It is practically impossible to cut and burn all infected trees 

 after their discovery." 



Who for a minute will believe that it is imjiossible to burn a 

 tree if you cut it down? 



"Even if these trees are cut, it is impossible to discover and 

 eradicate the numerous infections originating from millions of 

 spores produced on these trees and distributed by birds, insects, 

 squirrels, wind and rain." 



If we cannot eradicate, we may check. We may do something 

 that will be beneficial, and if it is impossible to do as stated in 

 paragraph 3, then let us do the next best thing. Let us not 

 quit because some one thinks that it probably is impossible, but 

 let us go ahead and do the best we can. I question the pro- 

 priety of anyone engaged in work of this kind and in relation to 

 this disease being ready to give up after the first etfort. 



"Even if it were impossible to cut and burn all affected trees, 

 for ten to twenty years afterwards numbers of sprouts won hi 

 grow up from the roots of these trees and continue to die fi-om 

 the disease and to spread the infection." 



I would like to know whether that observation is based u])on 

 facts, or whether it is a mere guess, an assumption. An incident 

 was cited to you this morning where a number of infected trees 

 were cut out of a grove near Philadelphia. The bark was care- 

 fully taken from the stumps, burned, every infected portion of 

 tree that could be found was destroyed, and the sprouts from 



