32 CHESTNUT TREE BLIGHT. 
the trees are more than likely to be hybrids with the American chest- 
nut and to vary greatly in resistance to the bark disease. If grafted 
on American stocks, the stocks readily succumb to the disease, and 
so the whole tree is killed, no matter how resistant the scion may be. 
However, the nut of the true Japanese chestnut is of poor quality at 
best, and it is an open question whether it can ever be made a com- 
mercial success. ; 
West of the natural range of the American chestnut, however, the 
situation is quite different. Obviously the western chestnut orchard- 
ist has before him a great epEer any: No matter how successful 
efforts to limit the bark disease in the Kast may be, the nut crop will 
be reduced for some years, and the business of growing fine orchard 
chestnuts in the East will be depressed for the same length of time. 
There is no apparent reason why, with rigid inspection, both of an 
purchased aoee and of the orchards themselves, all chestnut orchards 
and nurseries from Ohio to the Pacific coast can not be kept perma- 
nently free from the bark disease; therefore all persons interested in 
growing the chestnut in the West as an orchard tree are earnestly 
advised not to secure any chestnut nursery stock from eastern nur- 
series; to be sure that stock from any source is rigidly inspected; to 
watch with the utmost care their own nurseries and orchards; and to 
destroy immediately by fire any trees that may be found diseased. 
There is presumptive evidence that the bark disease was introduced 
into America on the Japanese chestnut, but until this point is defi- 
nitely settled orchardists west of Ohio are advised not to import nur- 
sery stock of this variety. Seed can probably be imported with a 
reasonable degree of safety, however. 
ADVICE TO OWNERS OF CHESTNUT WOODLAND. 
Owners of chestnut woodland anywhere within the area of com- 
plete infection are earnestly advised to convert their trees into lumber 
as quickly aspossible. The trees that are not already killed will soon 
die in any case and the timber will quickly deteriorate in quality. 
Such trees are a continual source of further infection, and, moreover, 
large areas of dead chestnut trees, by harboring bark and wood 
inhabiting insects, are likely to start some insect epidemic. Indeed, 
with the quantity of dead chestnut timber now standing it will be 
remarkable if some serious infestation of insects extending to sound 
trees does not follow. 
Owners of chestnut woodland outside the area of general infection 
are counseled to watch for the first appearance of the disease, and 
when it appears to cut down immediately all affected trees, bark 
them, and burn the bark and brush, over the stump if practicable. 
Such procedure will distinctly retard the spread of the disease in 
that particular woodland, even if no concerted efforts at elimination 
are made by neighboring owners. It is to be expected, however, that 
in all cases of this kind the owner will have the cooperation of the 
‘State authorities in a general quarantine movement. 
It is almost needless to add that until we know what action is to 
be taken in all the chestnut-growing States and what the results are 
likely to be, chestnut woodland is a poor investment. Furthermore, 
in forest management, as in improvement cuttings, etc., there should 
be discrimination against the chestank. 
