CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE. 359 



CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE, 

 Endothia gyrosa var. parasitica (Murr.) Clint. 



HISTORICAL CONSIDERATION. 



Introduction. It is now over eight years since the chestnut 

 blight was first found in New York, and nearly six years since 

 it was reported to this Station as occurring in Connecticut. 

 The writer became acquainted with the trouble in 1905 through 

 Murrill's work and specimens sent by him, and has been actively 

 engaged in a special study of it ever since its discovery in 

 Connecticut. Articles (5-12) concerning these studies have 

 appeared from time to time in the Station Reports and else- 

 where. Since our views have been, in part, at variance with 

 those held by certain other investigators, we propose to give 

 here more in detail the information we have gained during 

 these investigations, and our conclusions therefrom. 



We wish to acknowledge especial indebtedness to our assist- 

 ant, Mr. Stoddard, who during the last three years has greatly 

 aided in the work with artificial cultures, inoculation experi- 

 ments, etc. Mr. Spring, the former, and Mr. Filley, the 

 present, forester of this Station, have cooperated with the 

 botanical department in determining the conditions in our for- 

 ests and the possible remedial treatments. American and 

 European botanists have aided with specimens and information ; 

 and we are especially indebted to Professor Farlow, of Harvard, 

 in our systematic study of the blight fungus and its allies. We 

 are also indebted to numerous persons interested in forestry 

 in Connecticut for much local information. 



Discovery of Disease. The chestnut blight was first noticed 

 by H. W. Merkel, in charge of the trees of the New York 

 Zoological Park, in the summer of 1904, as injuring scattered 

 trees in that park. In 1905 it was so bad that he took active 

 measures to bring it under control, and published (32) the first 

 general description of the trouble in the Report of the New 

 York Zoological Society for that year. The attention of 

 Murrill, of the New York Botanical Garden, was called to 

 the disease, which had now become quite conspicuous in the 

 parks and woods in the vicinity of New York City, and he 

 began a botanical study of it to determine the exact cause. 



