FIGHTING THE CHESTNUT TREE BLIGHT 



CHESTNUT TREE ON FARM SHOWING 

 EARLY STAGES OF BLIGHT. 



factories, as the leading railway lines 

 conceded special low rates for carrying 

 blighted chestnut. The utilization ques- 

 tion is being investigated most carefully 

 and thoroughly. Another important 

 movement will be to display specimens 

 of the blight at the various county agri- 

 cultural fairs this fall. These will be in 

 charge of demonstrators who will fully 

 explain the nature of the blight and 

 suggest remedial measures so far as 

 practicable. As the fairs of Pennsyl- 

 vania during the season of 1911 at- 

 tracted 1,522,500 visitors, this educa- 

 tional plan needs no further commenda- 

 tion. The farmers' institutes of the 

 State will also afford an excellent op- 

 portunity to acquaint the people with 

 the absolute necessity for waging a con- 

 tinued and united warfare against the 

 blight if any chestnut shall be saved. 



The Pennsylvania State Forestry De- 

 partment has rendered invaluable as- 

 sistance in combating the blight. The 

 State owns 1,000,000 acres of forest 

 lands, and the foresters in charge are 

 making every possible effort to eradi- 

 cate the disease. Their efforts have re- 

 duced the percentage of infection on 

 State lands to a very small figure. A 

 greater and more earnest interest in 

 the work is needed in all the States 

 threatened by the disease. Pennsylvania 



does not believe in impossibilities, and 

 will continue to lead in this laudable 

 but difficult task of eradicating the 

 blight. 



General Manager Carleton stated that 

 within two or three weeks every county 

 of the commonwealth will be repre- 

 sented by active agents in charge of 

 conservation work. General Superin- 

 tendent Detwiler has concentrated a 

 large amount of work in combating the 

 progress of the blight upon western 

 Pennsylvania counties, and is greatly 

 encouraged by the prospect that the val- 

 uable chestnut in that section may be 

 saved. 



The man \vho wears shoes, reads the 

 magazines, rents a house, uses the tele- 

 phone or telegraph, goes trolley-riding 

 etc., has a material interest in the 

 eradication of this new but deadly for- 

 est pest, hence, the vital importance of 

 general co-operation. As a producer of 

 lumber, the native chestnut tree has an 

 almost incalculable value, aggregating 

 many millions. 



Lastly in its list of many virtues is 

 its immense value as a producer of food 

 for man, sheep, hogs and other live 



DISEASED TREE SHOWING 

 SHREDDED BARK AFTER TWO 

 OR THREE YEARS' INFECTION. 



