ater it was determined that the disease was present at that time
in other localities in Italy. The blight is spreading rapidly and is
almost completely destroying the orchard and larger forest trees of
European chestnut in Italy in localities where the disease has been
present for some time. The blight occurs in many areas in northern Italy
and as far south as Naples. The young chestnut coppice is not so
seriously affected, but the losses caused by the blight will make
growing coppice on a 10- to 20-year rotation basis less profitable than
formerly.

The chestnut blight is abundantly present on the east slopes of the
mountains along the French-Italian border; although it has not yet been
found in France, its distribution in adjoining Italy makes it highly
probable that advance spot infections are already present in France. The
blight has spread into Tessin Province in southeastern Switzerland where
it is destroying many of the orchards and forest trees. A large chestnut
extract plant in this Province uses wood in making tannin for leather
manufacturers. However, this plant, as well as some of the extract
plants in northern Italy, is unable to utilize the chestnut wood as fast
as the blight is killing chestnut trees.

In Yugoslavia, chestnut blight is spreading rapidly in the orchards and
native growth along the Italian border. Authorities are actively cutting
out all advance spot infections, to delay or possibly stop its spread
across their country. In Yugoslavia, chestnut stands frequently are
widely separated, a natural advantage in delaying the spread of the
blight.

Chestnut blight has been controlled in western North America, where
chestnut orchards and plantings are not numerous. Scattered infections
have been found during the last 30 years in California, Oregon,
Washington, and British Columbia; infected trees have been removed.
Strict State Quarantine regulations have been enforced, to prevent
chestnut blight from spreading to the West Coast.

The chestnut blight fungus is attacking three of the important oaks of
Europe. The typical fanlike mycelial growth can be observed in the bark
of infected oaks. In 1953 in Yugoslavia I observed vigorous young
durmast oak (_Quercus petraea_) being killed by the blight. In Italy I
found the disease killing pubescent oaks (_Q. pubescens_) and causing
minor injury to the holly oak (_Q. ilex_). Before we can estimate the
probable damage to these European oaks, we need more