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THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
317 
investigation of the method of control of the fire blight which 
is a serious nurserymen’s problem in New York state. Under 
the terms of this Investigatorship the Association or company 
wishing the work done provides funds for the hiring of one 
or more assistants whose duty it shall be to investigate 
thoroughly the problems in question. The work is under 
the close supervision of those in charge of the Department 
of Plant Pathology at the Experiment Station who outline 
the work and give advice and direction as needed. The 
final results are published and thus become available to all 
concerned. 
It occms to me that this is the best method of taking up 
the problems’ of the nurserymen. Under this method the 
nurserymen of any particular state could co-operate in raising 
a fund for the investigation of problems which might be 
peculiar to the conditions of that state. This same method 
could also be applied to the investigation of nursery problems 
other than those relating to plant diseases. 
CHESTNUT BARK DISEASE 
This disease was first recognized as serious in the vicinity 
of New York City in 1904 though it may have been on Long 
Island ten years earlier. It appears ultimately to extermi¬ 
nate chestnut trees in any locality which it infests. The 
chestnut trees in the southern part of Westchester county, 
Bronx Park, Prospect and Forest Parks and the western end 
of Long Island are dead or seriously infected. To the north 
and east of these sections, the disease has become generally 
prevalent and infected trees are found on both sides of the 
Hudson river as far north as Saratoga and Washington 
coimties. Diseased trees have also been found in Livingston 
and Allegany counties. It is believed that there may be 
other portions of the chestnut belt of the State where the 
fungus coiild be found. At present about one-third of the 
chestnut growing area of the State is involved. Expensive 
experiments for the control of this disease have not been 
undertaken by this or other States where the disease has be¬ 
come distributed except in Pennsylvania where a commission 
provided with ample funds has been working for two years 
to devise a practicable plan by which the large areas of un¬ 
infected chestnut timber might be saved. *The work of the 
Pennsylvania Chestnut Bark Commission has taken the 
broadest possible scope and everything that suggested itself 
as a preventive or a cure of the disease has been applied, but 
up to this time the Commission has reported no plan that 
seems to warrant adoption in this State. When a working 
scheme is devised that promises good results it should be 
energetically applied in this State. Whenever the disease 
appears in single trees or even in groups of trees, they should 
be cut and the bark at once removed and burned after which 
the timber is believed to be safe to use. Whenever large 
munbers of trees are infected, the trees should be cut before 
they die in order to save the timber at its best, and all bark 
should be burned at the place of cutting. For further 
information address Calvin J. Huson, Commissioner of 
Agriculture, Albany, N. Y. 
•Governor Tener has vetoed the bill, so the Chestnut Tree Blight 
Commission goes out of existence.— Ed. 
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MORE INSPECTION 
A bill has lately been introduced into the House of 
Representatives by Congressman Raker under HR4357 
« 
reading as follows: 
A BILL 
To provide for the inspection of any parcel sent by mail 
which contains fruit, plants, trees, shrubs, mu*sery stock 
grafts, scions. Peach, Plum, Almond, or the pits of other 
fruits. Cotton seeds, or vegetables, at point of delivery in 
any post office of the United States that requests such inspec¬ 
tion and where the requisite inspectors are provided by the 
States to perform such service. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives 
of the United States of America in Congress assembled. 
That it shall be unlawful for any postmaster or postal 
clerk to receive any parcel containing fruit, plants, trees, 
shrubs, nursery stock, grafts, scions. Peach, Plum, Almond, 
or the pits of other fruits, Cotton seed, or vegetables to be 
sent by mail except that the same be plainly labeled, which 
label shall not only give the character of the parcel, but also 
the name of the person who produced it and place where grown, 
if possible; also the name of the sender. It shall also be 
unlawful for any postmaster or postal clerk to deliver at any 
post office in any State any parcel containing fruit, plants, 
trees, shrubs, nursery stock, grafts, scions. Peach, Pliun, 
Almond, or the pits of other fruits. Cotton seed, or vegetables 
imtil the same has been inspected by a regularly appointed 
fruit inspector provided by the State, and it shall be the duty 
of the postal officers to appraise said fruit inspectors of the 
presence of such parcels. It shall also be unlawful for any 
postmaster or postal clerk to deliver such parcel imtil it is 
released by such regularly appointed fruit inspector, who 
certifies that it is free from injurious insects and injurious 
fungi. In case any State desires inspection at destination, 
it shall be divided into a reasonable number of inspection 
districts, to be determined by the joint action of the Agn- 
culttual Department and the state authorities, and that in 
each-of such inspection districts there shall be designated 
a point of inspection, and that all nursery stock coming 
through the mails shall be routed through such inspection 
point and there subject to inspection prior to reshipment to 
destination, and in this case, immediately after inspection, 
the parcel shall be carefully rewrapped and remaded to the 
consignee in case it is free from pests, and otherwise treated 
and destroyed as the State officials shall direct. 
A more effective method of making the parcel post value¬ 
less to the nurseryman cannot be conceived. The plant 
disease and insect pest bugaboo certainly must loom large 
in the eyes of some of our'legislators. It is a great pity that 
such legislators could not be required to work on a nursery 
so as to get actual information concerning plants and plant 
diseases. We hardly think it would take twelve months 
actual contact with plants to recognize how futile and 
silly such a bill would be. It has been truly said this country 
would be very much benefited if the legislators could have 
a long holiday. 
