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



practicable. In other portions it may be necessary to cut all 

 chestnut trees both healthy and diseased, in a belt some miles 

 wide along the line. The disease is left largely to itself in 

 the area enclosed by this line while careful search is made for 

 all diseased trees outside that area and they are destroyed 

 when found. All chestnut timber in the generally diseased 

 area should be cut and utilized as rapidly as possible but the 

 disease will find itself checked upon reaching a boundry de- 

 stitute of chestnut, 'the same as a forest fire when it comes 

 to a broad river. 



In the case of individual trees which are quite valuable it 

 is often possible to prolong their lives or even to save them 

 by careful tree surgery. Diseased twigs and small limbs 

 should be removed. The larger limbs and trunk may be 

 treated by carefully cutting away all diseased bark and into 

 the healthy bark around the edges. A layer of wood should 

 also be removed from beneath this bark and the entire wound 

 painted over with coal tar. The tools used for removing bark 

 and wood should be very sharp, so as to make clean, smooth 

 cuts, and the work must be done with great care and thor- 

 oughness, if good results are to be expected. 



LEGISLATION. 



The control of this disease is a matter which requires 

 prompt action on the part of every state where it has been 

 found. These states are all awakening to a realization of the 

 danger from the Chestnut Bark Disease and Pennsylvania, 

 Virginia, and New York have already taken steps to prevent 

 its further spread. Pennsylvania was the first state to make a 

 definite move along this line. Her legislature passed a bill 

 carrying appropriations of $275,000. for use in investigating 

 and controlling this specific disease. The full title of that act 

 is as follows : 



"An act to provide efficient and practical means for the 

 prevention, control and eradication of a disease affecting 

 the chestnut trees, commonly called the chestnut tree blight; 



