st or
fungous disease dangerously injurious to or destructive of the trees,
shrubs or other plants; every such tree, shrub, plant or vine shall be a
public nuisance, etc." It also states that if the Commissioner of
Agriculture is notified of the presence of any such pests he shall take
such action as the law provides, and the law provides for the
destruction or treatment of diseased trees.

This law appears to be not confined in its application to nursery stock,
and in this view I am supported by such men as Dr. E. P. Felt, State
Entomologist, and Forester Merkel of the New York Zoological Park. It
appears that the Commissioner of Agriculture not only has the right but
it is his duty to take action under this law when his attention is
called to a matter such as the one in question.

The methods of procedure under this law seem to be sufficiently clear.
Wherever infected trees are known to exist the Commissioner is directed
to order the owners thereof to destroy them. Failure to obey these
orders constitutes a misdemeanor and the Commissioner may have his
orders carried out by his own agents.

I am glad that you fully appreciate the serious nature of this pest
which threatens great destruction of one of our most valuable timber and
nut trees and I hope that no obstacle will be allowed to stand in the
way of the enforcement of the full intent of the law.

This Association will aid such work in any way in its power.

I would like to call to your attention a report in the Yearbook of the
U. S. Department of Agriculture for 1903, page 317, of the successful
treatment of an outbreak of this pest at Detroit, Michigan. Also to an
address to be published in the transactions of this Association, a copy
of which I will send you, by Prof. Herrick in which he recounts the
successful treatment of another outbreak.

April 3, 1912.

W. C. Deming, M. D.,
Sec., Northern Nut Growers' Association,
Westchester, New York City.

Dear Sir:--

I am in receipt of your communication of the 16th of March, and have
considered carefully the question of what can be done towards the
control of the hickory bark beetle. As this is a species which at
irregular intervals becomes abundant and capable of doing considerable
local damage, yet I am inclined to think that so far as the Department
of Agriculture can exercise any control, the hickory bark beetle should
be classed among such pests as in a way have like habits of injury,