No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE FORESTER. 301 



served to give the information necessary to identify the disease, 

 and as far as we know, what to do for it. 



Early last spring I took a trip to Pennsylvania and Wash- 

 ington, D. C, to ascertain the latest information regarding the 

 chestnut bark disease. The State of Pennsylvania has had a 

 special State commission and a large appropriation for this 

 work. The Bureau of Plant Industry of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture has also had an appropriation of 

 $S0,000 a year from Congress, and has had experts in the field. 

 This latter appropriation was made possible through the special 

 interest taken by our Massachusetts senators, Messrs. Crane 

 and Lodge. This trip resulted in my learning the latest meth- 

 ods in Pennsylvania, and in securing an appropriation of $3,000 

 from the Bureau of Plant Industry as the government's con- 

 tribution to the State in attempting some co-operative work. 



This season's work was immediately inaugurated, and free 

 assistance and advice were offered to any one in the State 

 having chestnut growth. Mr. Murdoch, one of my assistants 

 who had had previous experience in the work, was put into the 

 field and later we secured the services of Mr. Roy G. Pierce, 

 who has been in our employ since early in July. Mr. Pierce 

 is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Forestry, 

 and later was connected with the United States Forest Service. 

 Previous to coming to Massachusetts he was employed for a 

 year by the Pennsylvania Blight Commission, coming to us, 

 therefore, well recommended. 



Discovery in Massachusetts. 

 The chestnut blight was not found in Massachusetts until 

 1909, at which time 4 cases were authentically reported. The 

 evidence found later indicates its presence as early as 1905 or 

 1906. In the summer of 1911, as reported in our bulletin, it 

 was found in 72 towns. Since that time the blight has been 

 found in at least 200 towns and cities in the State, and it is 

 very probable that it is now in every town and city where 

 chestnut grows to any extent. 



Examinations for Blight. 

 Up to July, 1911, the work consisted mainly of examination 

 of woodlands for individual owners, and of general scouting to 



