Pennsylvania's Fine Fight. 



45 



ture in building walls that are ex- 

 posed to water. In the manufacture 

 of cheap wallpaper and artificial 

 flowers it is used in the form of a 

 fine dust. Other uses are for cementa- 

 tion in steel mills, for cleaning pur- 

 poses in the production of gas, in the 

 manufacture of calcium carbide and 

 carborundum, and, in foundries, for 

 pickling. 



'Everybody knows of its applica- 

 tion in the manufacture of powder 

 and explosives. Further uses are for 

 floors in gj^mnasiums and riding 

 schools, for the manufacture of paper, 

 for slippery streets in winter, and for 

 bedding in stables. Sawdust improves 

 soil mechanically^ and, when saturat- 

 ed with stable manure, it also works 



chemically on the soil and so im- 

 proves it. Sawdust is also used in 

 sawdust mortar (for moist places) 

 and in horticulture to protect hot- 

 beds, etc. With proper manipula- 

 tion a good wood soil, so valuable in 

 gardening, can be obtained. In the 

 manufacture of soap for washing and 

 cleaning purposes sawdust is also em- 

 ployed. 



' Very promising is the manufacture 

 of sugar and alcohol out of waste 

 woods ; but these processes are not yet 

 far enough advanced to be of com- 

 mercial value and to justify large ex- 

 penditures at the same time. Finally, 

 sawdust is the only material now 

 used for a cheap production of oxalic 

 acid. ' 



Pennsylvania's Fine Fight 



Chestnut Tree BlightCommissionBelieve they can Exterminate the Evil 



While the following, taken from the 

 Philadelphia Post, is somewhat en- 

 thusiastic in its character, neverthe- 

 less the authorities of the Chestnut 

 Tree Blight Commission of Pennsyl- 

 vania state that it is substantially cor- 

 rect. It is gratifying to know that 

 such success has attended the efforts 

 of this commission. It is both an in- 

 centive and a warning to Canadians 

 to be on the alert in fighting at the 

 earliest possible stage the enemies 

 which threaten our forests. 



A current example of the effectiveness 

 of common-Fen?e, scientific methods is found 

 in the work of the Pennsylvania commission 

 now engaged in exterminating the chestnut- 

 tree blight. This organization is barely 

 eighteen months old ; but in that short 

 space of time it has quieted the fears of the 

 almost panic-stricken landowners and has 

 got the situation well in hand. The entire 

 field has been thoroughly scouted, the 

 centers of the (lisease located and a great 

 quantity of infected trees treated, destroyed 

 or rendered harmless. 



Chestnut blight is caused by a fungus. 

 There are two fungous growths that are very 

 similar in appearance, but it has just been 

 discovered that only one of them is harm- 

 ful to the trees. Studies made by the com- 

 mission indicate that the di^ea^e-creating 

 fungus is spread in the form of spores, which 



are shot out into the air in enormous num- 

 bers, particularly in wet weather. This 

 new information is of importance in that 

 it will modify the existing methods of 

 preventing the spread of the blight. 



Wherever the inspectors of the commis- 

 sion find blighted trees they cut out the 

 diseased portions of trunks and branches. 

 This method had formerly been tried with- 

 out much success; but improved technic 

 has made it thoroughly effective. The 

 diseased wood, after its removal, is burned, 

 and when the new sprouts come they are 

 usually found to be healthy. 



Just as boards of health quarantine indi- 

 viduals, modern foresters quarantine dis- 

 eased trees. Three or four serious outbreaks 

 of chestnut blight in the western part of 

 Pennsylvania were traced to infected nur- 

 sery stock. Since this time the inspectors 

 have turned their attention to the nurseries 

 and have examined every individual tree 

 offered for sale. This is a costly and tedious 

 process, but it apears to be justified by the 

 results it produces. 



Not the least important researches of the 

 commission are being devoted to tree medi- 

 cation and the discovery of a liquid fungi- 

 cide that can be safely and effectively in- 

 jected into trunks and branches. In this 

 field the investigators encounter one oi the 

 great obstacles of human medication — the 

 difficulty of finding a substance that will 

 kill the germs without injuring their host. 

 In this interesting and important work the 

 commission has the co-operation of the office 

 of Forest Pathology at Washington. 



