rds are in varying
stages of blight infection, some of them being almost entirely free, due
to the attention which has been given them. In order to protect such
orchards the Commission is compelling the removal of infected trees
within a certain radius of them.

As you know the blight has been a very serious factor in this industry.
Some of the orchards have been completely annihilated and the income
reduced from several thousand or more dollars per year to nothing.
Whether or not the blight will completely wipe out the orcharding
industry is a subject of large importance. Personally I believe that
chestnuts will be raised commercially in Pennsylvania in increased
abundance, and as the various phases of the blight subject are brought
to light, keeping the disease under control can be more easily
accomplished. At the present time this is being done in certain orchards
by the present methods of examining the trees often, treating each
infection, or removing the tree. If this policy is successfully pursued
for several more years it will demonstrate conclusively that chestnuts
can be grown in spite of the blight and this will mean an opportunity to
use vast areas of waste land in Pennsylvania and in the other states, in
a highly profitable manner.

* * * * *

The Chairman: The subject of the next paper is Some Problems in the
Treatment of the Chestnut. It will be presented by Mr. Pierce, after
which we will have a general discussion of the entire subject.

Mr. Pierce: Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen: I see that, as we wrote
our papers separately, some of the things I had in mind will be similar
to those Mr. Rockey had.

SOME PROBLEMS IN THE TREATMENT OF DISEASED CHESTNUT TREES

BY ROY G. PIERCE

Tree Surgeon, Pennsylvania Chestnut Tree Blight Commission

The problems that present themselves to the growers of chestnut trees
concerning the present disease may be summed up under three heads:
first, what the disease is, how it is caused, and how it may be
recognized; second, what is to be done with diseased trees to bring them
to health or to prevent them from infecting other healthy trees nearby;
third, what means in the future can be undertaken to keep a tree
healthy, that is, to prevent reinfection.

First, what the disease is, how it is caused, and how it may be
recognized. The disease known as the chestnut tree blight is caused by
the fungus, _Diaporthe parasitica_, whi