446 CONNECTICUT EXPERIMENT STATION REPORT, 1912. 



have been re-inspected, the evidence is that our work has been 

 very good. There was some return of the disease, of course, 

 as was to be expected, but a rather small percentage." 



Experiments in Connecticut. In Connecticut there has been 

 no appropriation of money by the state to investigate the chest- 

 nut blight, and none has been asked for. Such work as has 

 been done has been carried on by the botanical and forestry 

 departments of this Station with? funds at hand, and in connec- 

 tion with their other duties. There has been no attempt to 

 enforce state control of the disease, or to eliminate it by the 

 cutting out and quarantine method. There has been no demand 

 for such treatment on the part of those interested. Preliminary 

 surveys have shown that the disease now exists in all the towns, 

 and in some of them to such an extent that any attempt to 

 gain control of the fungus by the cutting out method, even if 

 successful, could only be made at a cost disproportionate to 

 the good that would be accomplished. Add to this the constant 

 watch that would have to be maintained against re-infection, 

 the opposition that would be aroused among some property 

 owners by the enforced cutting, and we have sufficient reason 

 for not attempting such a program in this state. Then, too, 

 none of the surrounding states, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, or 

 New York, is attempting such control. 



In order, however, to gain some idea of the value of the 

 cutting out method, two experiments, in cooperation with the 

 forestry department, have been conducted in this state. The first 

 was at the Whittemore estate in Middlebury, and was largely 

 preliminary in nature, being carried out by Mr. Shepardson, 

 manager of the estate, at our suggestion, but not immediately 

 under our control. The disease was rather bad in certain of 

 the woods on this large estate, and in a special effort to pro- 

 tect those nearest the residence, the removal of all infected 

 trees was started in 1910. These woods have now been gone 

 over four different years, each time removing all trees of 

 whatever size showing cankers. Apparently this removal has 

 had little effect in decreasing the disease in these particular 

 woods. A cciunt was not made of the number removed each 

 year, except that Mr. Shepardson states that more were removed 

 in the winter of 1913 than in all previous years. In these 

 woods, something over one hundred acres, forty or fifty of 



