284 BOAnn OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



per cent, of these fires come from this cause, would it not be a good business 

 proposition for the railroads in this Commonwealth to screen their smok- 

 ing cars, thereby eliminating every railroad fire from this source? The 

 expense would be nominal compared to the constant drain on them for 

 fire losses. Reports made to this department show 6S5 railroad fires, 

 burning over 29,842 acres, with a cost for extinguishing of $10,949.46 

 and a damage cost of §330,389.50. 



Respectfully submitted, 



M. C. HUTCHINS, 



State Fire Warden. 

 Boston, Mass., Nov. 30, 1911. 



The Chestnut Bark Disease {Diaporthe -parasitica). 



In my last annual report mention was made of the presence of 

 the chestnut bark disease in this State, and that the State Forester 

 had taken the matter up with Dr. Haven Metcalf, pathologist in 

 charge of the Bureau of Plant Industr}^ United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture, in order to determine, if possible, by co- 

 operative effort, to what extent the disease exists in Massachusetts. 

 Although it was known that the disease had caused irreparable 

 damage to the chestnut growth of several States, notably New 

 York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut, it was thought 

 to have gained only a slight foothold in Massachusetts, but the 

 report of Prof. Arthur H. Graves, the United States government 

 expert, who, under the direction of the State Forester, made an 

 investigation, shows that it is far more widespread and serious 

 than was suspected by the most radical students of the disease. 



The report of ]\Ir. Graves is in part as follows: — 



The chestnut bark blight has been found in 72 Massachusetts towns. 

 The disease appears to be more general in the south-central and south- 

 western parts of the State. This is perhaps due to the fact that these 

 portions are nearer to the badly infested regions in New York and Con- 

 necticut, and possibly also because on the whole more chestnut occurs 

 here than in other parts of the State. In the southern part of Berkshire 

 County the disease has already done a great deal of damage. There is 

 every reason to believe that if the disease continues to spread as it has 

 within the last half do.^en years, it will ultimately cause tremendous havoc 

 in Massachusetts, as it has already done in New York, New Jersey and 

 Connecticut. 



Supplementing the report of Professor Graves, Professor Met- 

 calf writes the State Forester that " during the past summer the 



