9 6 



later in a special bulletin on this investigation. I will probably visit 

 the forests from time to time until the investigation is completed. 



It is hoped and believed that with a further knowledge of the par- 

 asites of the spruce Scolytidae and their habits, that they may be 

 successfully introduced into forests where the trees are just com- 

 mencing to die and thus prevent a wholesale destruction of the 

 timber. 



KX1J.V1 AND DISTRIBUTION OF THK STRUCK FORESTS OF WEST VIRGINIA. 



Valuable information in regard to the extent of the forests was ob- 

 tained from Col. E. Hutton, who "is an extensive land owner and 

 dealer and is thoroughly acquainted with the land and timber of the 

 mountain regions in this section of the State. According to his 

 estimate, the spruce forests are distributed as follows: 



Randolph county, 15,000 acres on Elk and Gauley waters. 



120,000 acres on Cheat River waters. 

 5,000 acres on Mill creek. 



500 acres on Elk mountain. 

 Pocahontas county, 20,000 acres on Shafers' Fork of Cheat. 



100,000 acres on the head of Greenbrier. 



100,000 acres on Gauley and Elk head waters. 

 Tucker county, 50,000 acres on Cheat waters. 



Mineral county, 25,000 acres. 



Greenbrier county, 33,499 acres by actual survey, on Cherry Tree 

 river, making a total of nearly 500,000 acres, or about 800 square 

 miles of spruce forest. He thinks the actual amount will go over 

 rather than under this estimate. .His estimate that there were 

 25,000 acres in Greenbrier county, was proved by actual survey to 

 exceed that amount over 8, coo acres. 



INFORMATION ( ONCKRNING TIME WHEN TIMBER COMMENCED AND CKASKD 

 DYING IN CHEAT REGION. 



Col Hutton stated that he observed trees commencing to die in 

 the Cheat region about ten years ago, or between 1880 and 1882, 

 the destruction continued for five or six years, the trouble spreading 

 until over 300,000 acres was more or less affected. He farther 

 stated that the timber did not die over all the forest alike; but in 

 patches of from 60 to 1,000 acres, and that the largest and best 

 trees seemed to be more frequently affected than the smaller trees. 

 Mr. Hanbric, who is the game-keeper of the Sportsmen's Associa- 

 tion, says that he has spent almost all his life in these forests as a 

 hunter, and that he has been observing the spruce timber for the 

 last ten years. He says that in the summer of 1882 there was a 

 very severe drought here, that in October following the timber com- 

 menced to die, continuing through the winter and much worse the 

 following summer, the trees then died scatteringly until 1885. No 

 trees to his knowledge have died here within the last three years; 



