36 BULLETIN 722, U. 8S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
portant in connection with the girdling sometimes done for the pur- 
pose of removing seed trees of undesirable species. 
In view of the need of a rapid destruction of fungus-infected trees, 
viz, those that may not be considered safe to leave on sales areas, 
there is much in favor of burning the trees severely and allowing 
them tostand. Gurdling trees by fire is an old and successful practice. 
There should. be sufficient loppings from the other merchantable 
trees that when piled about the base of the hemlocks and burned 
will effect their death without much injury to the forest soil or to the 
seeds of desirable species which may be embedded in the soil. 
Thinnings whenever conformable to the conditions of the sales 
areas are of importance in greatly increasing the vigor and there- 
fore presumably the ability to resist fungus attack in the remaining 
infected trees, and apparently reducing the number of viable and. 
spore-producing fruiting bodies produced. 
Under certain conditions where it is found practicable, a method 
of control by fire can be very effectively used. It has been observed 
that in cases where the down logs of hemlock were left in a suffi-— 
ciently shaded and moist situation sporophores of Echinodontium 
tinctorium were developed, which were a-source of infection to the 
remaining stand. The cutting of all infected trees and the piling 
and burning of all infectious cull material along with the brush will 
not only remove the fungus-infected wood but will prevent the 
formation of infection-spreading sporophores. 
SUMMARY. 
Western hemlock, a tree subject to prejudice by lumbermen and 
now beginning to find its place in the lumber markets, is abundantly 
distributed throughout the northwestern United Sites and western 
Canada. 
It is found to be subject to a large percentage of decay, which is 
partly accountable for the prejudice against it. 
Echinodontium tinctorium BH. and E., the Indian-paint fungus, is 
responsible for practically all the decay in standing timber of western 
hemlock, causing a stringy brown-rot of the heartwood which extends 
to all parts of the tree. 
In general, the sites and associations of western hemlock are 
favorable to the development of decay, and the moisture relation’ 
seems to play an important part in this respect. The absence of 
large quantities of resin, the tolerant habit of the species, the early 
and abundant formation of branch stubs, and the large number of 
spores produced yearly—all these are important factors in the rapid 3 
and extensive development of decay in the stand. 
