'Ulnitefc States Department of Sericulture, 
Bureau of plant Hn&ustrg. 
Brown University, 
jforest ©atboloes. Providence, B. I., October 6, 1920. 
Professor M. L. Fernald, 
Gray Herbarium, 
Cambridge, Hass. 
Dear Pernald: 
Some time ago the owner of a large isolated tree on Gliebeague 
Island, Casco Bay, wrote in to the Department of Agriculture about the 
increasing unhealtiness of this particular tree. It is an important one 
from the point of view of landscape effect. Upon subsequent correspondence, 
I found that the tree was located on what is known as She Hook on Chebeague 
Island and proves to be a gray oak ( onerous rubra var. ambigua ). So far 
as correspondence and photographs are concerned, it would appear that the 
principal trouble is lack of nourishment,and I hesitate a little about 
recommendations for feeding this variety of tree because I am a little un¬ 
certain as to its liking for acid or alkaline conditions. I suppose, like 
most other allied trees, it prefers acid soil, but 1 am writing to you 
primarily to ask if you happen to know regarding this point. Also, whether 
lime or bone meal would be actually injurious. It seems the man 1ms been 
using bone meal around the tree for a few years arid he is not at all satisfied 
with the results. Under normal conditions I would recommend using stable 
manure without either lime or bone meal, but it occurred to me that before 
writing any recommendations I had better consult you regarding the points 
mentioned above. Also, do you know how the tree reacts to salt atmosphere, 
