56 Forest Club Annual 



saplings, which were cut in clearing preparatory to the felling of 

 the infected trees, were found to be infected with the blight. 

 Many saplings, scorched while burning the infected trees in 1911, 

 showed cankers in 1912. A tree, which in 1911, upon a careful 

 examination, revealed no external indications of the fungus, bore, 

 in August, 1912, an almost continuous canker extending from the 

 base up to about twenty feet above the ground. The fungus was 

 found on a root at the surface of the ground one foot from the 

 base of a stump which had been charred the year before. An 

 area containing about 65 infected trees was reported in 1911 to 

 cover about one-half acre. This infection spread during the 

 year until it covered an area of about two acres. Stromata bear- 

 ing pycnidia were collected from the charred stumps and later 

 were used in studying the virulence of the fungus as found on 

 charred stumps. The results indicated that it had lost much of 

 its virulence and that its vitality was rapidly waning. 



It was observed, on Bowers Mountain, that on the north 

 slope most of the infections occurred on the lower portion of the 

 slope below the rocky outcrops and on the bench above the 

 stream, while on the south slope the majority of the infections 

 were found on the upper slope just below the brow of the ridge. 

 The same condition was found to exist on the Schultz Ridge in 

 the same Reserve. On the north slope the percentage of chest- 

 nut increases from 25 per cent on the bench near the stream to 

 about 50 to 60 per cent on the ridge. 



As a result of the above investigation, it was concluded that, 

 whenever small uninfected sprouts and saplings are cut in clear- 

 ing the ground on which to fell infected trees, the stumps should 

 be peeled and heavily charred. They should be afforded the 

 same treatment as the stumps of infected trees. In all cases the 

 stumps should be peeled as an added precaution against the re- 

 generation of the fungus on the charred stump. The wood should 

 be chipped off at least two inches below each canker. This should 

 be piled and burned on the stump with the bark and brush. Care- 

 ful attention should be given to completely destroying all in- 

 fected tissue. 



During the coldest period of the winter of 1911-12, speci- 

 mens were received on which perithecia were found with mature 

 ascospores. It is true that at this time pycnidia were also found, 

 but they were rare in comparison with the number of perithecia. 

 Growing mycelium was not evident at this time. 



The longevity of the conidia and ascospores doubtless varies 

 with the conditions under which the spores are kept. Spores 

 from bark collected in late summer and kept dry at ordinary 



