220 W. V. AGR. EXPERIMENT STATION [Bulletin 137 



Dr. Spaulding ; of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, 

 has made careful notes on this disease in the Connecticut Val- 

 ley during the past three years. In summing up his obser- 

 vations there he states, "There can be no shadow of doubt 

 that in the three years, 1909 to 1911, inclusive, the disease 

 has spread so seriously as to now be beyond hopes of control 

 in the lower Connecticut Valley." (i) 



In the case of New Jersey infection is already so general 

 that there is very little hope of savfng any chestnut in that 

 state. 



Europe is fearful of the disease and Italy has already 

 taken steps to prevent its introduction there. 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 



Numerous experiments have been conducted in the hope 

 of finding some practical method of controlling the chestnut 

 bark disease and some good results have been secured. Those 

 most actively engaged in work along this line at present are 

 the Pennsylvania Chestnut Tree Blight Commission and the 

 Office of Forest Pathology in the U. S. Department of Agri- 

 culture. 



Spraying appears to be of little value, and, of course, is 

 entirely impractical in forest areas. The method which has 

 finally been adopted aims to prevent the further spread of 

 the disease from the area of general infection and to destroy 

 all diseased trees outside this area. To accomplish the first 

 point, it is essential to establish a line beyond which it will 

 be extremely difficult for the disease to progress. The main, 

 advancing front of the diseased section must come to a point 

 where there are no more chestnut trees within easy range of 

 infection. Large unwooded areas and forest tracts free from 

 chestnut should form as large a part of this boundary line as 



(1) From unpublished data furnished by Dr. Spaulding. 



