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year, and in that desk is about everything that has been said, 

 or thought, or dreamed of, relative to the chestnut bark disease. 

 We have had the advice of our friend Stewart, who thinks as 

 Dr. Clinton does, along the same lines. What they have stated 

 here to-day we must accept as the honest statement of men who 

 know enough to make such statements. They know what they 

 are talking about, because they have investigated this disease and 

 they have investigated similar diseases, so that we must take 

 what they say with a great deal of confidence. They have been 

 talking to the point whether chestnut bark disease could be con- 

 trolled or eradicated. If I were to ask either one of those gentle- 

 men what they would do Avith a chestnut tree in their own yard 

 that was infected with this disease, they would probably say, 

 "Cut it out." That gives us the keynote of what I think should 

 be done wherever there is a possibility that single trees, or small 

 infections, can be removed. That seems to be the simple thing, 

 and the proper, sensible thing to do. It may have to be done by 

 the force of statute, but a great deal can be done by advising 

 owners of chestnut trees that become slightly infected, asking, 

 urging, forcing them in every way you can, to cut that timber 

 while it is still alive and save it. If that were done in the State 

 of Pennsylvania, their entire two hundred and seventy-five thou- 

 sand dollars would be well expended. We are up against a 

 proposition in NCAV York. W r e have probably two-thirds of our 

 chestnut timber still intact, and we want to save it if we can. 

 Now why should we not go out in the borders and carry on a 

 missionary work, or something stronger, and see if we cannot 

 cut a dividing line? Let scientific men go on with their investi- 

 gations. We need all the advice that their broad knowledge can 

 bring to us; but the other thing is a practical thing, a thing that 

 is at our doors, and a few hundred thousand dollars spent now 

 may result in a saving of that valuable property lying all to the 

 west and south of us. (Applause). 



PR, J. RUSSELL SMITH, of Pennsylvania: Mr. Chairman: 

 Professor Clinton advanced a very interesting point; that it 

 was the dry weather that made these trees amenable to blight. 

 The evidence was that people in Connecticut thought the dry 

 weather had killed other trees that died, if I remember the 



