Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-10-03
TIE WHITE CINE blight.

the white pine interests owing to the
growing scarcity Of that timber, a pc
culiar blight has attacked this class
of trees. Government experts have
two weeks but at last accounts the
disease remained as much of mys-
terry as ever. The investigation is be-
ing conducted under the auspices of
the forest service and the bureau of
plant industry, and it is announced
that the work will continue until the
real cause of the trouble has been
discovered.
The preliminary report shows that
Vermont has suffered to a slight de-
gree as yet as compared with other
New England states, evidences of its
presence having been found freely
south of the White Mountains. though
by no means all of this territory is
badly affected In most places only a
few scattered trees are attacked by
the blight. although in a few local.
ties as many as ten to twenty per
cent Of the trees are affected by the
disease.
Brunswick Maine, appears to have
suffered most severely, ana it is fear
ed that IL the trouble should continue
to increase. the beautiful and famous
Bowrloin pines, of which Hawthorne
and Longfcllow wrote, will soon be "A
thing of the rast Another badly af-
fected locality Is Eliot, Maine. There
the noble grove Of pines on the Green
acre Conference grounds presents a
very different appearance from usual
to the hundreds Of health-seokcrs and
others VINO visit the place every year.
In New hampshire the vicinity of
Nashua seems TO have suffered most,
and brown, hllFhtcd trees mar the
landscape wherever one turns. Mass
acnusetts too has not escaped, and
throughout the state the disease Ia
found, but more particularly in the
northern and central part. In Rhode
Island and Connecticut white pine is
not an abundant tree, but in both OF
these states the same trouble is found
1t is evident then that the disease
mas suddenly and simultaneously made
Ill,
ated localities. Just how new the
trouble is, is still an unsettled ques-
ton. A few persons claim to hav,
noticed the blight for the last twenty
five years. but most people agree thai
they never saw it until two year,
ago in the summer of 1905. At tina
time it was reported from several To-
calities, but the outbreak was not
severe one. and the trouble was no
thought to be serious, In 1906 con
ditions remained about the same
This summer came tho present out
break, which without doubt exceed!
in extent all previous ones and has
attracted very general attention
throughout this section of the coun
| try.
Not enough definite information i
available at present to enable the gov
eminent experts to say precisely wha
is the cause of the trouble. In man.
|
respects the problem seems to be
complicated one, and one which vii
require considerable study to solv
satisfactorily The all-important poin
to be determined is whether the dis
ease is an infectious one and on
which is likely to develop into ser
| ious epidemic; or whether it is purol,
! due to unfavorable climatic condition
in character and therefore not con
tagious
The report says that the cvidenc
now at nand points both ways. an
it is difficult to say which explana
ton is the correct one, Evidences O
the parasitic fungus Septoria hav
been found on all the specimens ex
| amined, but whether this is the caus
of the blight, or the result of it. I
not certain. In some respects the be
havior of the disease would seem t
Indicate that it is not caused by
fungus; but on the other hand tn