Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-10-16
THE PASSING OF
THE CHESTNUT TREE
and tens of thousands
of giant chestnut trees, the stately

THOUSANDS and tens of thousands
of giant chestnut trees, the stately
tops of which tower over the sky
in various sections Of the country, have
been obliged to bow to the woodmans
AK during the past few weeks, and
heroic measures are being adopted, as
consequences, to stay the sway of the
death-dealing disease known Familiarity
the chestnut blight
This strange disease is battling the
most expert of state and government
foresters and the most experienced of
private gardeners.
Chestnut blight is of comparatively
recent origin. The disease made its ap-
pearance in the eastern section of the
country about two years ago. 1t is a
fungus that enters the trees through
holes made by the boring of holes by
insects through broken branch ends or
by wounds produced in various ways.
1t grows beneath the bark in the ac-
lively growing tissues outside the wood
zone which is not attached and it grad
ually saps the life of the tree.
Throughout the country wherever the
beautiful chestnut trees have been for
centuries thriving this peculiar fungus
has made JUS appearance this season.
The disease has assumed in various
sections of the country the proportions
of epidemic which threatens to wipe
the vast chestnut groves of the country
out of existence.
Forestry experts who have examined
great groves IN Pennsylvania, Della ware
and other eastern states have found that
fully ~ per cent of the trees are affected
this year
\ Pennsylvania state forester in look
ing over the groves of a prominent mil
llonaire at Bryn Mawr. Pa, recently dis
covered that 1,4Oo Of the trees had been
attacked by the fungus-that is to say,
more than 30 per cent Of the total trees in
the grove.
Many OF the trees examined by the
forestry experts have been found to be
I'm the last stages of the disease and be-
yond saving. These have been cut down
at once to prevent contamination and
burned.
The work Of foresters of the various
states where chestnut trees abound is
much the same. Maps are made on which
are noted the exact location of each tree
and after the dra wings are completed an
notations are added showing just what
treatment Is necessary for each particular
ly affected tree.
Suggestions are also made by the for
rosters as to pruning and the thinning of
the groves where such a procedure will
insure more successful growth. Each
tree is tagged to correspond with the
numbers on the maps. and it Is then the
part of the owner of the property to
employ workmen employed by the own
ers of the trees to carry out the sus-
gestions of the experts.
In Forest Park, Brooklyn, all Of the
10000 more chestnut trees have been
attacked by the blight, and thus far
nearly 1909 have been cut down The
others it is feared will die within a wear
and this despite the fact that thousands
of dollars have been spent In spraying
tarring, pruning and other useless labor
useless because the blight that attacks the
chestnut is the mostly deadly known to
botanists.
The fungus that causes the blight es-
tablshes itself in the layers of delicate
Inner bark, starts decay and causes the
outer bark to loosen and drop off in great
sheets
Along country roads, if one will trouble
TO look, one may see at any time now
adays thousands of barkless chestnut
trees. giant. mute examples of the effect
of the terrible disease
The spread of the disease takes place
during the summer months when under
the stimulus of the warm sun the fun
gus is dried and the winds scatter the
disease-charged fragments far and wide.
Sentimentally this great loss of the
beautiful shade trees is alarming. but
from business standpoint the loss hits
the pockets of the nation a solar plexus
blow. The value of the lumberman's out
put is now about twenty million dollars
Within ten years, say the EXPERTS these
figures will be cut I'm half
Never in history has a species of tree
been eXterminated 1t may be that nature
Will yet rally her forces and bring some
deadiy Zoe TO Dear upon the parasites.
Most botanists. however, take an extreme
ly gloomy view Of the situation.