﻿62 
  Sixteenth 
  Annual 
  Report 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  The 
  Blister 
  Rust 
  

   In 
  the 
  spring 
  of 
  1908, 
  following 
  the 
  former 
  custom, 
  a 
  large 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  two 
  year 
  old 
  white 
  pine 
  seedlings 
  were 
  imported 
  from 
  

   Germany 
  and 
  350,000 
  were 
  set 
  in 
  a 
  nursery 
  at 
  Lake 
  Clear 
  Junc- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  was 
  the 
  expectation 
  that 
  they 
  would 
  be 
  available 
  for 
  dis- 
  

   tribution 
  this 
  year, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  it 
  was 
  found 
  that 
  they 
  were 
  

   affected 
  with 
  the 
  white 
  pine 
  blister 
  rust,* 
  a 
  very 
  serious 
  disease 
  of 
  

   white 
  pine 
  abroad, 
  and 
  after 
  several 
  inspections 
  by 
  expert 
  patholo- 
  

   gists 
  and 
  most 
  careful 
  consideration 
  of 
  the 
  entire 
  matter, 
  they 
  were 
  

   all 
  condemned 
  by 
  the 
  Commissioner 
  of 
  Agriculture 
  and 
  conse- 
  

   quently 
  burned. 
  At 
  a 
  time 
  when 
  planting 
  stock 
  was 
  in 
  such 
  de- 
  

   mand 
  this 
  seemed 
  like 
  a 
  serious 
  loss 
  but 
  it 
  was 
  the 
  only 
  proper 
  

   course 
  to 
  pursue. 
  The 
  value 
  of 
  white 
  pine 
  and 
  its 
  importance 
  as 
  a 
  

   lumber 
  tree 
  is 
  so 
  great 
  we 
  cannot 
  afford 
  to 
  do 
  anything 
  to 
  imperil 
  

   its 
  future. 
  The 
  cost 
  of 
  these 
  trees 
  is 
  nothing 
  in 
  comparison 
  with 
  

   the 
  damage 
  the 
  disease 
  might 
  cause. 
  The 
  wisdom 
  of 
  that 
  course 
  

   has 
  been 
  illustrated 
  the 
  past 
  summer 
  by 
  some 
  white 
  pine 
  in 
  a 
  plan- 
  

   tation 
  near 
  Lake 
  Clear 
  Junction. 
  There 
  is 
  in 
  this 
  plantation 
  a 
  

   quantity 
  of 
  white 
  pine 
  planted 
  in 
  1902, 
  when 
  four 
  years 
  old, 
  which 
  

   has 
  made 
  a 
  promising 
  growth 
  until 
  the 
  past 
  two 
  summers. 
  Last 
  

   year 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  trees 
  had 
  yellow 
  tips 
  also 
  a 
  decided 
  thickening 
  

   and 
  softening 
  of 
  the 
  bark, 
  and 
  trees 
  that 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  height 
  growth 
  

   of 
  two 
  feet 
  and 
  more 
  in 
  previous 
  years, 
  ceased 
  to 
  grow 
  and 
  indi- 
  

   cated 
  signs 
  of 
  disease. 
  Specimens 
  were 
  submitted 
  to 
  the 
  State 
  

   Botanist, 
  State 
  Entomologist 
  and 
  the 
  Lnited 
  States 
  Bureau 
  of 
  

   Plant 
  Industry 
  and 
  their 
  assistance 
  requested. 
  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  

   the 
  trouble 
  was 
  not 
  due 
  to 
  insects 
  and 
  the 
  pathologists 
  could 
  not 
  

   give 
  us 
  definite 
  information. 
  The 
  trees 
  continued 
  to 
  assume 
  a 
  

   more 
  decided 
  yellow 
  coloring 
  in 
  the 
  leaves 
  and 
  manifested 
  other 
  

   indications 
  of 
  disease. 
  This 
  disease 
  being 
  new 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  the 
  

   experts 
  could 
  not 
  identify 
  it 
  because 
  they 
  had 
  not 
  had 
  experience 
  

   with 
  its 
  various 
  forms 
  and 
  characteristics. 
  In 
  November 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   amination 
  by 
  the 
  Assistant 
  State 
  Botanist, 
  of 
  another 
  plantation 
  con- 
  

  

  * 
  This 
  disease 
  was 
  fully 
  described 
  in 
  our 
  1909 
  report 
  also 
  in 
  Horticultural 
  

   Bulletin 
  No. 
  2, 
  State 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture, 
  Albany, 
  and 
  Circular 
  38, 
  

   Bureau 
  of 
  Plant 
  Industry, 
  Washington, 
  D. 
  C. 
  

  

  