444 CONNECTICUT EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT, IQI2. 



writer also believes that the apparent results would not justify 

 the application of the method on a wholesale scale in other 

 regions, for the following reasons: (i) Apparently neither the 

 chestnut tree nor the blight disease was very common in the 

 region under experimentation; hence the greater difficulty of 

 the disease starting there, and also the greater ease with which 

 it could be controlled. (2) Although those in control evidently 

 made a careful survey of the re%ion for the blight, they over- 

 looked infected trees. In a region with the chestnut tree and the 

 disease more abundant, it would be impossible to locate all the 

 diseased trees. (3) Where infected trees were cut down, the 

 disease appeared on the bark of the stumps in some cases. ' To 

 destroy the bark on the infected stumps as well is too great a 

 task to be successfully accomplished without great expense. 

 (4) No check areas, apparently, were reserved with which to 

 compare the results of the treatment. 



Yet, based on this experiment apparently, local advocates of 

 such measures succeeded in having the State of Pennsylvania 

 establish a chestnut blight commission to fight the disease in 

 that state along these lines. To aid in the further study of the 

 disease in all its aspects and in the control work, a grant of 

 $275,000 was made by their Legislature. Shortly afterward, 

 the United States Government also appropriated $80,000 for 

 further work by Metcalf's department. With the aid of the 

 government, and with more or less state aid, several of the 

 states south of Pennsylvania have taken up this work, chiefly 

 along the lines advocated by Metcalf and Collins, though appar- 

 ently so far most of this work has been in the nature of pre- 

 liminary surveys for locating the disease. 



In order to have a clearer idea of what has been accom- 

 plished in a practical way in Pennsylvania by this commission, 

 we recently wrote Carleton, who is now general manager, the 

 following letter: "I understand from newspaper reports that 

 the chestnut blight commission of Pennsylvania has found that 

 spraying with Bordeaux mixture is effective in controlling the 

 disease. I wish to ask for a statement from you concerning this 

 report. Also, I should like very much to know what has been 

 the outcome of your quarantine and cutting out work as carried 

 on so far. Have you seen any conclusive evidence that this 

 has been successful in checking the blight? Lastly, I should 



