August 13, 1909] 



SCIENCE 



201 



known to occur in America, but is generally 

 distributed in Europe, where in certain sec- 

 tions it is very destructive. It is mentioned 

 as being abundant about Hamburg, where are 

 located some of the largest forest tree nurser- 

 ies of the world. 



The writer has repeatedly examined im- 

 ported white pine trees, anticipating the in- 

 troduction of this disease, and, on June 8, 

 succeeded in finding it. This is its first re- 

 ported occurrence on white pine in America. 

 Continued investigations now show that Peri- 

 dermium Strobi is present on imported stock 

 in the states of New York, Vermont, Massa- 

 chusetts and Connecticut. The stock was im- 

 ported from the nurseries of J. Tleins Sohne, 

 near Hamburg, Germany. All of the stock 

 found infected thus far is three years old, 

 that is, the seed was sown in 1906. There can 

 be no doubt that it was infected in the Ger- 

 man nurseries, as (1) the disease was not 

 known to occur in America on the pine previ- 

 ous to this date, and in no form whatever ex- 

 cept as mentioned below; (2) fruiting pus- 

 tules have been found on three-year-old trees 

 which were imported this spring; (3) fruiting 

 pustules have also been found on trees which 

 were imported in the spring of 1908 and 

 placed in transplant beds in this country. 



It is a well-known fact that a fungus dis- 

 ease introduced into a new climate is usually 

 much more virulent in its attacks than in its 

 native country. This fungus prevents the 

 cultivation of Pinus Strohus in certain sec- 

 tions of Europe where the fungus is indige- 

 nous. We can hardly doubt that it will be even 

 more destructive should it once obtain a foot- 

 hold in America. The white pine is the tree 

 upon which depends the entire reforestation 

 movement which has been developed in the 

 northeastern states. Peridermium Strohi 

 threatens the profitable use of this species and 

 thus directly concerns all who are connected 

 with the reforestation question in this section. 

 At the present stage in this movement it 

 would be a national calamity to allow this 

 fungus to become established in America. 



Peridermium Strohi has an alternate stage 

 on various species of Biles, which is known as 

 Cronartium ribicola Eisch. de Waldh. The 



fungus probably will not transfer from white 

 pine to white pine, but must pass from white 

 pine to Biles, and vice versa. The Cronar- 

 tium stage was found established in New 

 York in 1906 by Stewart,' who apparently was 

 entirely successful in eradicating it. The 

 Peridermium stage has never been previously 

 found in this country, so far as now known. 

 The best available method of treatment is (1) 

 to immediately burn the diseased white pine 

 trees; (2) to inspect all neighboring currant 

 and gooseberry bushes in August and Sep- 

 tember, and to burn any affected plant; (3) 

 to inspect the pine trees again in April or 

 May of next spring (1910) and burn all that 

 are found diseased. It may be also necessary 

 to repeat the inspection of the currant bushes 

 in 1910. 



On June 28 a meeting was held in New 

 York City of the representatives of the forest 

 commissions of the states of New Hampshire, 

 Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New 

 York and New Jersey, the Pennsylvania and 

 the Delaware and Hudson Railroads, the New 

 York State Department of Agriculture, the 

 Geneva Agricultural Experiment Station, the 

 Yale Eorest School, the Eorest Service and the 

 Bureau of Plant Industry of the United 

 States Department of Agriculture. Concerted 

 action along the lines recommended above was 

 pledged by all concerned, and measures for 

 preventing the further importation of diseased 

 trees were taken under consideration. 



Perley Spauldinq 

 Bureau of Plant Industry 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS 

 It is scarcely necessary to remind readers 

 of SciENQE that the Winnipeg meeting of the 

 British Association for the Advancement of 

 Science opens on August 25, and that the 

 council of the association has invited members 

 of the American Association for the Advance- 

 ment of Science to become members for the 

 meeting. Abstracts of papers intended for 

 presentation should be forwarded to the local 

 secretaries. University of Manitoba. 



'Stewart, F. C, Tech. Bull. N. Y. (Geneva) 

 Agr. Expt. Station, 2: 60-74, 1906. 



