ereabouts before its
existence was cut short by the blight; and yet today--a dozen years
later--we are finding quite a number of living sprouts over two inches
in diameter, and a few that are three, four, and even up to seven inches
in diameter. Last Friday, August 29, I heard of a small chestnut tree in
New Jersey that bore a few burs last year and which has a dozen or more
this year. If the nuts mature we hope to get some of them to propagate.
Last Sunday, August 31, I saw a three inch sprout in Connecticut that
had had a few burs on it. I would be glad to learn of any cases of this
sort that may come to your attention.

You are all thinking men and women and all of you have had experiences
with diseased trees of some sort, many of you with very serious
diseases, and some of you I know have had a wide experience with the
chestnut blight, so you can draw your own conclusions as to the
significance of the facts that I have stated.

As to the state laws for transporting material from one state to another
I am not posted, but I believe that we can be advised by writing to the
government at Washington.

DR. MORRIS: We do not know whether the Washington government will
sterilize those scions and send them out for us, but there should be
some way of sending from one state to another.[B]

It seems to me that in all probability, the vital energy of the
protoplasm of the endothia is diminishing. Quality, flavor, or anything
you please, is bound up with certain vitality, and that diminishes and
finally will cease. That is the reason for the endothia growing less
now.

PROF. COLLINS: My point was perhaps not exactly that. I meant that the
result is that, with the average cases, we are now getting chestnuts not
so quickly destroyed. The explanation may be exactly what you have
stated.

DR. MORRIS: There are two factors to be considered. First, the running
down of the vital energy of the protoplasm; and second, in the factors
which affect the vital energy of the plant.

PROF. COLLINS: In the paper I have just read there was mentioned the
apparent number of trees in various parts of the country which are very
slowly dying from the blight, and some which have resisted it entirely,
so far; but that was not the point I desired to emphasize. There are
some around New York City which are still growing, and Dr. Graves could
tell us of this.

MR. O'CONNOR: Would it be desirable to take out an old tree where there
are new sprouts