RECENT TROUBLES WITH OUR FOREST TREES 65 



and practically the whole State of Massachusetts has been covered. 

 It is understood that the disease is found very generally distributed 

 over the state, being, however, more commonly found in some sec- 

 tions than in others. 



White pines are far less affected than are currants, but here and 

 there the pines are found to be infected with the disease. In no 

 case, as far as the writer is aware, is there an infection of sufficient 

 magnitude to destroy a stand of white pine of any appreciable size. 

 Here and there, where the disease has been present for a period of 

 years, a few fairly good-sized trees ranging up to twelve inches in 

 diameter contained more or less blister rust cankers on their 

 branches and some upon the upper main trunk. In most cases 

 here, however, the trees themselves were growing in abnormal 

 conditions and were equally unhealthy from an unfavorable envi- 

 ronment and were afflicted with all the other diseases and insect 

 enemies common to their kind. 



In plantations of imported stock the disease is likely to be found, 

 and in our younger plantations, if the disease is present, it is in all 

 likelihood accounted for in this way. Plantations of native stock 

 are practically free from the disease. There is a possible danger, 

 however, from these native plantations having been filled in with 

 foreign stock, which might account for some infestations. 



Our Massachusetts plantations of foreign stock have been gone 

 over each year and the infected trees have been pulled and burned. 

 This practice, now running over a period of six years, has resulted 

 in less and less infected trees each year, and at no time has the 

 percentage of trees affected been as large as one per cent. 



With our present knowledge of the subject, what remains for us 

 to do in the future? The writer is willing to state that it is his 

 belief that more harm than good has been done by the unnecessary 

 agitation in the publicity campaign so systematically carried on at 

 great expense, exciting people over a subject about which enough 

 is not yet known even by experts themselves. It is a very easy 

 matter to tear down, but quite another to build up and accomplish 

 something. For the past ten years we have been working hard in 

 Massachusetts to encourage better forestry practices and reforest- 

 ation, particularly with white pine, has just made a good start. 

 Our people are interested and enthusiastically cooperating. We 



