FIGHTING THE CHESTNUT TREE BLIGHT 



579 



POSTULES PRODUCING GELATINOUS THREADS 

 BEARING SUMMER SPORES (ENLARGED). 



stock. The total value of the tooth- 

 some chestnut grown in the chestnut 

 belt of the United States reaches al- 

 most stupendous figures. 



The Secretary of the Pennsylvania 

 Game Commission in his preliminary 

 report for the present year refers to the 

 threatened extermination of our native 

 chestnut trees, through the ravages of 

 the chestnut blight, and the serious ef- 

 fect that this loss of food for wild 

 animals and birds would produce in this 

 State. 



Another authority declared that un- 

 der proper care, our mountain lands 

 could be made to produce a sufficient 

 quantity of chestnuts to fatten all of 

 Pennsylvania's hogs. 



AYith ornamental chestnut trees sit- 

 uated on the lawns of country and 



suburban homes that no money could 

 buy, because of their historic associa- 

 tions, and allowing a minimum of only 

 fifty cents for every chestnut tree in 

 Pennsylvania, "there are millions in it." 

 and it is no wonder that this State has 

 taken a commendable lead in the en- 

 deavor to prevent the total extermina- 

 tion of the chestnut tree. 



It is a vigorous campaign, but thus 

 far Nature has succeeded in putting 

 even the best scientists to the test in 

 discovering a successful remedy. The 

 pernicious San- Jose scale threatened to 

 annihilate our wealth of fruit trees, but 

 was conquered by the simple lime and 

 sulphur solution ; the codling moth and 

 curculio have been subjugated, but this 

 parasitic disease of the chestnut tree is 

 baffling our vaunted skill, although, it 

 is believed, only temporally . 



55,000 FOREST FIRE FIGHTERS. 



More than a million miles of territory in comparatively sparsely settled sections of- 

 country will be covered daily by a forest fire preventive force of 55,000 men, as a result 

 of an order issued by Postmaster General Hitchcock. These men are the rural and start 

 route mail carriers, who are directed to co-operate with the forest rangers and State fire 

 wardens in every way possible. 



