CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE. 389 
means the death of all the chestnuts in the infected regions. On 
the other hand, there are others, like the writer, who believe 
that there have been unusual conditions that have favored the 
rise and spread of the disease so far, and that the crest of this 
wave of infection is bound to be reached, and a gradual decrease 
to follow when these conditions are changed. 
The blight has become far too prevalent and widespread to 
show sudden improvement in a single year, yet we believe that 
a let-up in its destructive spread was shown in the year 1912. 
In 1911, according to all our information, blight was by far 
more conspicuous and became more widely distributed than in 
any previous year. This was a year of serious drought, follow- 
ing several dry years. In the winter and spring of 1912 
numerous rains replenished very largely the depleted supply of 
water in the soil, so that even trees in general that had not 
suffered seriously from any particular trouble showed decided 
improvement in foliage and growth. This was especially true 
of the peach, which is a very good indicator of weather con- 
ditions. True, there was a drought period in midsummer in 
1912, but this did not affect trees so much as it did the super- 
ficially rooted crops. 
Now, if weather conditions have had nothing whatever to 
do with the spread of blight, so far as increased or decreased 
vigor of the chestnut trees is concerned, then the blight in 
1912 should have been far more prominent, destructive, and 
widespread than in any previous year. Yet, thirty-one out of 
sixty-four persons answering our letter stated that the blight 
was no worse, or even apparently better, in 1912 than in I911. 
If our observations and those of the persons who corroborate 
them are true, then there is certainly some hope for the future 
of the chestnut in Connecticut. Just what percentage of the 
trees will survive the blight we do not aim to predict, but we 
certainly do not believe they are all to be exterminated. 
RELATION TO CONDITION OF HOST. 
General Statement. Some writers believe that the condition 
of the host has had no influence whatever on the rise and spread 
of this disease. For instance, Metcalf and Collins (37) in 1910 
said: “A debilitated tree is no more subject to attack than a 
