NEWS AND NOTES 



347 



importance to the nation's capital, con- 

 taining some grand scenery which 

 should be included in the purchase, 

 borders the banks of the Potomac River 

 from the District Line to a point be- 

 yond the Great Falls, an area of 10,000 

 acres. All of this is a region unsur- 

 passed in natural beauty and wealth of 

 vegetation. Sixty-five varieties of trees 

 can be found upon it. It can be used 

 for practical and scientific demonstra- 

 tion and will therefore be as useful as 

 it will be ornamental.' 1 



The following were present: Mrs. 

 Andrews, chairman of the committee 

 on education ; Mrs. Randolph Keim, 

 Mrs. Herbert Knox Smith, Mrs. F. H. 

 Newell, Mrs. Ballow, member from 

 Hawaii; Mrs. A. P. Davis, Mrs. L. A. 

 Williams, Mrs. M. P. Keith, Mrs. J. 

 H. Shepperd, Mrs. I. W. Ball, Mrs. C. 

 A. Miner, Mrs. Earnest L. Miner, Mrs. 

 Richard B. Chew, Mrs. Clemons, Mrs. 

 H. Compton, Mrs. A. E. Murphy, Mrs. 

 J. E. Gadsby. 



NEWS AND NOTES 



Flood and Forests 



An object lesson and a very startling one 

 of the value of forest conservation has been 

 shown along the Mississippi river. The flood 

 tide now sweeping through the lower valley 

 of the Mississippi is inundating towns, 

 paralyzing business, destroying argicultural 

 prospects and causing property losses which 

 will probably aggregate millions, not to speak 

 of the loss of human life. 



We have often spoken of the necessity of 

 the forests to human safety and progress 

 and the present destruction by flood in the 

 Mississippi valley once more shows the im- 

 perativeness of forest conservation. The 

 reports demonstrate that the calamity is 

 largely due to the misbehaviour of the Ohio 

 river from which raging torrents are pour- 

 ing into the Mississippi. The states border- 

 ing the Ohio have not preserved their forests 

 and now as the water accumulates from 

 rains and from the spring thaws it is not 

 held in check in the forests until absorbed 

 by the earth. The forests that served as 

 checks have gone and the pools unite and 

 form rivulets and streams, gradually growing 

 in size. They seek an outlet and find it, in 

 the present instance to the great destruction 

 of property, later loss resulting from the lack 

 of storage and consequent shortage of water 

 when needed to furnish the motive power 

 for the wheels of industry. 



The $80,000 Appropriation 



Prevention of the chestnut tree blight was 

 discussed before the House Committee on 

 agriculture on April 11, and the passage of 

 Representative Moore's bill, appropriating 

 $80,000 for the purpose, as advocated by the 

 American Forestry Association was urged 

 by prominent men from Pennsylvania, New 

 York and elsewhere. Representative Moore, 

 who opened the discussion, said that the 



losses, due to the blight, had already reached 

 $25,000,000. 



Harold Pierce, of Ardmore, secretary of 

 the chestnut tree blight commission of 

 Pennsylvania, told what Pennsylvania had 

 done to protect trees in its own jurisdiction, 

 and urged government aid to prevent the 

 spread of the fungus elsewhere. Among 

 other speakers were Deputy Forestry Com- 

 missioner I. C. Williams, of Pennsylvania; 

 John Foley, forester of the Pennsylvania 

 Railroad; H. W. Markel, plant pathologist, 

 Bronx Park, N. Y., who is credited with 

 having discovered the disease, and J. S. 

 Holmes, State forester and geologist, North 

 Carolina. 



Forestry Conference Plan 



At a meeting in Albany, New York, on 

 April 10, of representatives of various State 

 departments and educational institutions in- 

 terested in forestry problems and work, the 

 New York State conference of conserva- 

 tion of forest resources was formed on 

 motion of Professor Walter Mulford, of 

 Cornell University. State Superintendent of 

 Forests C. R. Pettis was elected secretary. 



The conferees agreed upon a comprehen- 

 sive plan of State-wide activity for the re- 

 forestation and preservation of the forests 

 of this State, together with the utilization 

 of vast areas of soil now idle. Various 

 committees were appointed to carry out this 

 plan. 



Killing the Bugs 



A tubular gasoline torch designed especi- 

 ally for killing insect pests which damage 

 trees and growing crops has been perfected 

 by the Twiner Brass Works, of Sycamore, 

 111. It produces a flame sufficiently large to 

 cut off the supply of oxygen or air, which 

 is essential to animal life, also enough heat 

 to destroy the animal organism. This new 



