CHESTNUT TREE BLIGHT. 35 
and there the park disease is present in only a few spots. For this 
reason it is of extraordinary importance that these few spots be eradi- 
cated and that the disease be soon controlled immediately north of 
the Potomac. Ifthe bark disease once becomes well established in the 
chestnut forests of the South, it will be well-nigh impossible to control 
it, on account of the sparsely settled and mountainous condition of 
much of that country and for other reasons which do not obtain 
farther north. 
SUMMARY. 
(1) The chestnut-bark disease was first noted near New York 
City in 1904 and is now present in at least 10 States. It attacks the 
American chestnut, the European chestnut, the chinquapin, and, 
rarely, the Japanese chestnut. 
(2) The total financial loss from this disease is now estimated at 
$25,000,000. 
(3) The disease is caused by a fungus, and the entrance of a spore 
at any point where the bark is broken may cause infection. The 
disease spreads pee, in the inner bark and produces character- 
istic lesions which girdle the tree at the point attacked. 
(4) Conspicuous symptoms are the development of: bunches of 
sprouts below the girdling lesions; the half-formed yellowish leaves 
in the spring on the previously girdled branches, the reddish-brown 
leaves on branches girdled in summer, and the yellow, orange, or 
reddish-brown pustules of the fruiting fungus on the bark. It is 
ractically useless to attempt systematic location of the disease from 
ctober to April, inclusive. 
(5) The spores may be carried considerable distances on chestnut 
nursery Soa tan bark, and unbarked timber; also by birds, insects, 
squirrels, etc., which have come in contact with the sticky spore 
masses. Water quickly dissolves these spore masses and the minute 
spores are in this way carried along with water, as, for instance, with 
rain water running down a tree. Borers’ tunnels form the most 
common places of entrance for spores. . " , 
(6) The only known practical way of controlling the disease in 
a forest is to leeats a destroy the advance infections as soon as 
ossible after they appear and, if the disease is well established near 
y, to separate the area of complete infection from the comparatively 
uninfected area by an immune zone. Advance infections should be 
located by trained observers and destroyed by cutting and burning. 
As the disease develops almost entirely in the bark, this must be com- 
pletely destroyed (burned). ote ; 
(7) In order to carry out the above methods it is essential that 
the several States concerned secure necessary legislation and appro- 
priations, following the example of Pennsylvania, as no law exists 
whereby the Federal Government can. undertake such work and 
cooperation among private owners without State supervision 1s 
impracticable. . dak : 
8) Chestnut nursery stock should be rigidly inspected for the 
disease and only perfectly healthy plants passed. 
(9) The life of valuable ornamental trees may be greatly prolonged 
by promptly cutting out all diseased areas and removing a | disease- 
girdled branches and then covering the cuts with tar. Spraying 1s 
