94 



reached by a display and lecture, among them the Adams County 

 Institute. We have arranged to have a speaker at fully one hundred 

 of the Farmers' Institutes this winter, among them New Oxford and 

 Biglerville. We are arranging also to have a public display at many 

 of the public schools and colleges, where instruction in the blight is 

 given. 



Publications which go into the subject more fully than is pos- 

 sible in this paper can be obtained free of charge upon request. 

 The commission advises the cutting of infected timber for the fol- 

 lowing reasons: ist. Infected trees will be rapidly killed and the 

 wood of such trees deteriorates very rapidly. 2d. Infected trees al- 

 lowed to stand means the certain spread of the disease to surround- 

 ing trees, resulting in the death of the whole stand in a few years. 

 3d. It will mean the loss of valuable material through decay and 

 insects. 



If the owner of chestnut timber land in this county does nothing 

 he may expect to lose every chestnut tree and he will most likely 

 find that after this time the timber is in such bad condition that it 

 will not pay to take it out. 



Every man who owns a chestnut tree should learn to recognize 

 the blight and then look over his trees. Upon request we will try 

 to send a man to help determine how much blight there is, and 

 help mark the infected trees. 



The infected trees can be made up into whatever is most profit- 

 able; every farmer can use a certain amount of chestnut in posts, 

 and cordwood each year, and probably manufacture some ties and 

 poles at a profit. In this way he can utilize the infected trees that 

 should be cut, and get rid of them, which is the chief consideration. 

 Beyond this he must bark the stumps to the ground and burn the 

 bark over the stumps. By cutting a low stump this is not an ex- 

 pensive undertaking and the sprouts will be healthier and more vig- 

 orous. If it is not done the sprouts will eventually all become in- 

 fected and unless other species come in to take the place of the 

 chestnut no revenue will be received from the land for the next fifty 

 years. 



It should not be understood that one cutting will be enough to 

 eradicate the blight entirely unless all chestnut trees are cut. On 

 the other hand, it will probably be necessary to go into the stand 

 the following year and cut out more trees, but if the work is prop- 

 erly done, the second year the number of trees will be fewer and 

 after several years the blight should be completely cleared out. This 

 means an effort on the part of timber owners, yet in this way he is 

 utilizing his material and he is encouraging the growth of the trees 

 that are left. Thinnings are often made for this purpose alone. In 

 many places in various parts of the State timber owners go to- 

 gether, each promising to take care of his own timber, and as a con- 

 sequence the whole district is being cleared of the blight. Such an 

 organization for mutual protection will be given every encourage- 



