12P, 



MORNING SESSION. 



Wednesday, February 21, 1912, 9 o'clock A. M. 



THE CHAIRMAN: The meeting will please be in order. 

 We have a busy session before us and in a few moments oppor- 

 tunity will be given for the presentation of such business as 

 ought to come up, and then we will proceed with our programme. 

 It has been suggested to the Chairman, and he very heartily ap- 

 proves of the suggestion, that we should start our morning ses- 

 sion with a good taste in our mouths, which would be provided 

 by hearing a few remarks from our old friend, Dr. J. T. Roth- 

 rock, who is recognized as the father of Pennsylvania forestry 

 conservation, and, if there is no objection, the Chair will change 

 from the established order to call upon Dr. Rothrock for a few 

 remarks at this time. (Applause). 



DJl. JOSEPH T. ROTHROCK: Mr. Chairman and Gentle- 

 men : This question of chestnut blight, although of course it is 

 a portion of the forestry work of the State, is somewhat foreign 

 to the line in which I have been most actively interested. I 

 would say, though, that it was my good fortune in 1880 to spend 

 nine months in the laboratory of Professor DeBarry at Strass- 

 burg, Germany. DeBarry at that time was recognized as the 

 leading fungologist of the world. I departed from the faith that 

 was in me then, not because of lack of interest in the field, but 

 because my eyesight gave out, and I drifted then into forestry. 

 So that you will see that I am not wholly without a knowledge 

 of the rudiments of this work that you are engaged in. 



Now when a contagious disease breaks out among men or 

 among domestic animals, the first thing that is done is to limit, 

 as far as possible, the spread of the infection, or of the contagion. 

 Meanwhile, the laboratories of the land are doing all they can 

 to find out the causes and what is to be done to end the trouble. 

 The two lines of work are progressing side by side. When the 

 Peronospora invaded the vine-growing districts of France and 

 Germany, the laboratories of the Old World were busily en- 



