Ellsworth American., 1907-10-16
WHITE PINE DISEASE.
Government Experts Puzzled by New
Blight.

Government Experts Puzzled by New
Blight.
After thorough investigation OF the
peculiar blight which has attacked the
white pine OF New England so generally
this summer, government experts, after
two weeks work, say that the disease re-
mains as much OF a mystery as ever.
The investigation is being made by the
forest service and the bureau of plant in
dustry OF the department Of agriculture,
and will continue until the real cause Of
the trouble is discovered. 8. T. Dana, Of
the Office Of silvics, who has charge Of the
preliminary report says:
|. "The disease is very widely spread
throughout New England, and it occurs
practically everywhere south Of the White
mountains. By no means all of this ter
ritory is badly affected, however. In most
places only a few scattered trees are at
tackled by the blight, although in few
localities as many as 10 to 20 per cent. Of
the trees are affected.
brunswick, Maine, appears to have
suffered most severely, and it is feared
that il the trouble should continue to in
craase the heaptiful and famon. Rowdo;n
Mines ~ which Hawtborra ana rore,s,.
low wrote. will soon he a thing of the
mast Another hadlv affected locality ;a
Eliot, Maine. Here the noble grove Of
pines on the Greenacre conference grounds
presents very different appearance from
nsnal to the hundreds ~ haaIth .aekera
and NJ hers who v;.;t tho ,,,.oe orar,, ,,..r
urn Naw e1.mrsh;~. ~. r;o;r;.., -
Nashna aeems tn have snf,ered moat and
h-o,,, h,;nht.d trao. ,,,o- ~. l.rdsc.r.
whe-eve- ore trrra Mossachus~tts. Too
ba. not eac.ned and tbronohout the state
tho a;.aoso i ,ourd hr+ ,,,o-o ,,ar+;crlorlv
:. a.. o,4horn "a o.r+-.I or+ T.,
phods 1s,snd va conrect;cut wh;te n;ne
:, - - - .hrndor+ tree Int in ho+h :,
. ~. s'a'es 'ne same trouble Is 1ound.
e.iuent tna' tne oiseaSe mas suo-
ueniy Msoe i's appearahce IN very wloeiy
separated iocansies aii az once. just now
now tns troupie As' 10 stlA an unsettleo
question: A lew claim 10 nave noticed
the Dilgnt Ior the last twenty-five years,
Dus most peopie agree that they never saw
~ uhtA tne summer OF ASVo' AT that time
IL was reported from several LOCALITIES but
the outbreak was not a severe one, and thS
trouble was not thought to be serious. In
1910 conditions remained about the same.
Ihen this summer came the present out
break, which without doubt exceeds in
extent all previous ones, and has attracted
general attention throughout this section
OF the country.
unfortunately not enough definite in
formation is available to enable the gov
ernment experts to say precisely what is
the cause OF the trouble. In many re-
spects the problem seems to be compli-
Gated one, and one which viii require
considerable study to solve satisfactorily.
The all-important point to be determined
is whether the disease is an infectious one
and one which is likely to develop into a
serious epidemic, or whether it is purely
due to uniavorable climatic conditions in
character, and therefore not contagious.
1.-THE evidence now at hand points both
ways, and it is difficult to say which ex-
PLANTATION is the correct one. Evidences OF
the parasitic fungus septoria have been
found on all the specimens examined, but
whether this is the cause of the blight or
the result of it is not certain. In some
respects the behavior OF the disease would
seem to indicate that it is not caused by
fungus; but, on the other hand, the ex-
planation that the trouble is a physiologi-
cal one also has its weak points. If this
latter explanation should prove to be the
correct one, the trouble will probably dis
appear of its own accord next year, hav-
ing done but little damage. If, however,
it should prove to be a contagious disease
of some sort, there are now so many CEN
tres from which it might spread that the
result might be serious epidemic.
1.-THE present situation, therefore, is not
one which calls for alarm, but simply for
further investigation. With this end in
view the government has established sew
eral sample plots at PeterbOro NJ H. and