THE PRESIDENT: I will appoint on that committee Dr. Morris, Mr.
Patterson, Dr. Deming, Mr. Jones and Mr. Rick.
THE SECRETARY: I have still a number of things here that will take up a good deal of time. I don't know that it is particularly interesting to any one outside of the association but I have a letter that I think is interesting to the members, especially those who have attempted chestnut culture, from Mr. G. F. Gravatt, assistant pathologist, United States Department of Agriculture, in which he says as follows:
As you may be asked questions at the Northern Nut Growers' Association meeting at Rochester regarding chestnut blight work of the Office of Forest Pathology I am sending the following letter:
By means of short field trips and correspondents I am keeping up in a general way with the spread of the chestnut blight. The disease is steadily spreading southward and westward. Infections are now known in seven counties in Ohio and thirteen counties in North Carolina. There is every reason to expect that the disease will ultimately cover the range of the native chestnut and chinquapin.
In Ohio several orchards have been reported as infected by State authorities. The blight is now present on native and planted chestnut in a number of localities in the Northwest quarter of that state. State authorities have reported one orchard in Indiana as infected.
It is evident that chestnut orchards located in the middle west are in danger of becoming infected with the blight. The most important means of spread to localities outside of the range of native chestnut are by chestnut poles and lumber products, and by infected chestnut nursery trees. Owners of chestnut orchards should keep on the watch for the disease and any suspicious specimens will be gladly identified.
There is some disagreement among pathologists as to the practicability of controlling chestnut blight in orchards located outside of the range of native chestnut or in localities within the range of the native growth where the native trees are very scattering, such as in many parts of Ohio.
My personal opinion is that the orchardist thoroughly familiar with the disease who will systematically inspect his trees, properly remove any infection as soon as it becomes visible and who has eliminated the sources of new infection in his neighborhood has a good chance of success. Control of the disease in some orchards is being tried out and I am desirous of getting in touch with other chestnut orchardists who have infected trees.
The chestnut breeding work at Bell, Md., started by Dr. Van Fleet, is being continued. Mr. Reed is looking after points relating to culture, quality of nuts, productions, etc., while I am looking after the hybridization and disease work. The Chinese chestnut seems to be the most resistant to the disease though a number of trees of this species have been killed primarily by the blight.
A number of reports of chestnut blight becoming less virulent have been
investigated but in all cases the reports were incorrect. Professor
Graves is continuing his observations on resistant trees around New York
City.