Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-08-28
STATE HOUSE.
Annual Report Of the
Insurance Commissioner.
New Disease Reported to Be
killing White Pines.
Naval Reserve Starts On Home.
ward Cruise.
STATE HOUSE. CALENDAR.
Next Meeting of Governor and Coun-
Gil, Tuesday, Sept. 10, at TO A. M.

during the mast wear the total amount
of fire insurance risks written was
S112,93S.351.S and was divided as fol-
lows: Companies of other states ana
countries, $16O,276, 961.3S; Maine mu-
tual companies, S12,11S,09S.45; special
brokers, $4S3.292
The total amount of premiums re-
ceived was s2.6i2 S94.G2. divided as fol-
lows: Companies of other states and
countries, $2,466, S56.29; Maine mutual
companies. $3.50, 457.51: special brok-
ers, $15,5S0.76.
The losses paid We're s1,495,313
divided as follows: Companies of other
states and countries, 81 1862, 122.O6;
Maine mutual companies. S133191.SS.
1t will thus be seen that the losses
incurred by the foreign insurance COM
panies in Maine for the past year
amounted to $1,22SO71.53 and was
49.7S per cent. of the premiums col
lected
During the past year nine fire and
marine insurance companies. one frat
ernal and five miscellaneous compau-
les We're admitted to do business in this
State. The total amount of the capt.
talizaton of these companies was $4,-
100000.
The total receipts from the compa
MES during the past year amounted to
$l32,3o&.29 divided as follows: Taxes
bald by the companies. $112,503.29;
taxes paid by special brokers. $30S.11;
fees received by the department, $l9.-
| 1859.
During the past year 10 fire. two life,
two fraternal and one miscellaneous
companies We're discontinued from do
ing business in the State.
The investigation of fires by the de-
partment shows that 1922 per cent. of
them were Of unknown origin and .G5
per cent were incendiary.
| Dispatches have been sent out from
Washington, d. G., telling of n new
disease which is said to be affecting
| the white pine trees of New England
and particularly those of Maine and
| New Hampshire, and which is know /,
by the name of the pine blight. on
the trees which are affected by the dis
ease the tips of the needles first turn
brown, which color finally extends the
entire length of the needles, after
which they fall to the ground. leaving
| the tree donuded These symptoms
|
The blight usually kills the tree in two
! years, although it may Iii" in SinSl"
| season. Not only the young and
| thrifty trees are attacked by the dis
| ease but the older and middle-aSed
1 trees are equally as susceptible. The
| dispatch referred to above is in part as
| follows:
| The vast areas Of brown tops of
| trees have become very conspicuous
| and New Englanders have already
| made requests to the Forest Service
| for Investigations of this peculiar tree
| disease. Raphael Zon, chief OF the Of
\ flee of silvics of the Forest Service the
| division to whom most Of the requests
| for the investigation have been made
| is much Interested in the malady af-
| fecting the New England white pine.
| This disease is now being studded in
| the division Of Forest Pathology in the
Department of Agriculture, which has
| charge of all such cases.
| "Epidcmics among trees are quite as
| likely to occur as among people, and
| often cover Il considerable area and do
| n great amount of damage Compare
| lively little is as yet known about tree
| diseases and when an epidemic once
| gathers Roadway it spreads with mar
| Vicious rapidty, and it is almost i'm
| possible to stop it. A very striking ex
| ample of this was shown in the sos
| when the tamarack throughout New
| England and New York were defoliat-
ed and killed BY the larvae of a small
| sawfy Today scarcely a single tama-
| rack tree Of large size can be found in
| the region through which this cpidem-
ic swept.
About two years ago considerable
number of white pines near Exeter and
| Concord. y. H., We're found to be af-
| fectcd with n disease which had never
| been noticed before in this country.
| The needles first turned rusty brown
| color. making the forest look as if
| swept by fire. then fell to the ground,
| and the result was the death of the
| tree. An investigation of the trouble
| was made at that time by the division
| of plant diseases in Washington. and it
was determined that the trees We're at
| tackled by fungus known as SeptOria
| paraSitica. This fungus has been
| known for many years in Europe
| where it has done a great amount of
| damage. but it has never before made
| its appearance in this country.
The present disease of the white
| pine has not as yet been completely
| identified and may not be the same as
| that discovered two years ago Ger
tain specimens have shown no trace of
| fungus growth, and it is possible that
the trouble may be caused by climatic
| and local conditions. The precise
cause of diseases among trees it is Of
ten difficult to determine. The proba-
bilities seem to be, that the present
disease is due to the same cause as that
previously noticed, and that Septoria
parasitica is again the root of the
trouble"
In relation to the above disease it
was learned at the forestry depart
ment yesterday that it is not the opin-
ion of the commissioner that anything