120 



years, that were striken with the blight, by removing all such 

 portions as were affected by it, treating them with a composi- 

 tion of coal tar, diluted slightly with spirits of turpentine, so 

 that it might be easily applied with a brush, using it both as 

 a fungicide and insecticide; using it on bark, wood, and broken 

 places. Thus far we feel that our work has been successful 

 along this line. Last year it is true we cut out forty trees, all 

 of them less than ten inches in diameter. We have as yet lost 

 but three trees in all this large tract of land that were more 

 than this size. We have, as I said before, saved many trees by 

 severe pruning and trimming, cutting out all diseased places and 

 treating them with this solution of coal tar, ordinary coal gas 

 tar; so that we feel it is worth while to do something along this 

 line. We do not feel like the dear old lad} 7 who stood up on 

 the banks of the Hudson River when Mr. Fulton was about to 

 experiment with his steamboat, and said, as it was puffing and 

 blowing, "It will never move, it Avill never move," and when the 

 ropes were cast off and the boat moved out into the stream, 

 she said "It will never stop, it will never stop." We hope this 

 will be a successful work, prosecuted for the highest end by 

 this worthy and able Commission of the State of Pennsylvania, 

 and we, as representatives of Lehigh University, Dr. Drinker, 

 Professor Hall, of the Department of Biology, and myself as 

 custodian of the grounds, stand ready to help you with anything 

 we can do for you. We stand ready to listen to what you say to 

 us, stand ready to take your advice as a Commission, and go 

 with you hand in hand along this line. (Applause). 



DR. H. S. REED, of Virginia: Mr. Chairman: Regarding 

 one of Dr. Smith's questions, we have a few observations upon 

 the chestnuts in Virginia. Reference has been made this after- 

 noon to the blight in Virginia. It has been found there in some 

 instances, probably there is more there than we think, 

 but we have observed this that wherever it has been found, that 

 it was at an altitude of less than 800 feet. Most of the chestnut 

 timber that is healthy, and the greatest majority of it, is at an 

 altitude of more than a thousand feet, and on none of that which 

 is more than a thousand feet above the sea level has any trace 

 of the blight been found; but it is found occurring at altitudes 

 less than 800 feet and in regions where the rainfall is great. 



