Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1921-03-11
Blight Taking HI
Chestnut Trees Rapidly,
From Moorefield Examiner.

From Moorefield Examiner.
Morgantown, w. Va, FEB. %.
Stating that the chestnut blight
which has invaded West Vir-
ginia will destroy the chestnut
trees of the State by 1885, G. F
Gravatt of the bureau of plant
pathology United States Depart
ment of Agriculture urges the
who own Chestnut
timber to cut it at once.
Gravatt spent some time in
1920 with experts from the West
Virginia experiment Station in
determining the extent of the
blight in this state, and the rate
of spread of this comparatively
new enemy of the chestnut.
The West Virginia Expert
ment Station has carried on some
investigation of the blight for a
number of years, and until 1914
took active part in helping de-
stroy any trees found affected.
DR.. N. J. Gliding, the state
plant patho1ogist estimates the
standing chestnut timber as not
far from 5,OOO,OOO,OOO feet
Chestnuts are among the favorite
nutbearing trees of West Vir
ginia. and the yearly crop O.
marketed chestnuts will amour
to hundreds of thousands O.
! dollars.
| The blight first made its ap
pearence in the Eastern Pan
handle, composed of Jefferson
Berkeley and Morgan countie
aud spread west and south. TIL
blight has also apparently sprea
from Pennsylvania into Monor
gala and Marion counties, an
from Virginia into Pocahontas
, Greenbrier and other counties
E The disease has been found i
l II counties of this state.
The future rate of spread c
t this disease has been estimate
r from its past rate and the pre-:
/ emf known distribution in Yves
! Virginia. 1t is estimated tina
1 more than half the States ches
/ nut trees will be affected by 1891
and that BY 1882, practically til
f the entire state will have til
blight.
:! In Jefferson, Berkeley an
t Morgan counties most of til
chestnut growth is now dead {
rapidly deteriorating, due pr
a n1arily to sap rot and checking
d The sooner this stand can t
F.. utilized the less the loss will b
Il In Mineral, Hampshire an
? Hardy counties there are man
stands which need to be CT
e shortly if deterioration is to
D fore-stalled. 1t should be realize
though, that each particula
/ stand has to be considered as
t unit by itself. The owner {
stand of poles should begin GU
? ting as soon as the blight start
c On his trees, or even sooner, BIT
] cause while poles seasoned o
: the stump are as good as thos
, cut green, yet the breakage i
handling dead trees and tn
large percentage which develo
sap rot cause a considerable los,
The owner of a stand of tree
suitable primarily for extrac
wood can continue to market hi
trees for a number of years afte
they are dead, although the los
of the bark and decay of sap
wood cause a considerable de
Icrease in yolumn. The increased
menace of loss from fire both t.
the standing dead trees and t.
green trees of other species ii
the stand, make it advisable tc
quickly. utilize the dead trees.
Mr.. Gravatt emphasizes the
fact that iii all cutting operations
consideration should be given to
the desirability of decreasing the
per cent of chestnut in the
future stand. There is little
possibility of any of the chestnut
sprouts from future cutting in
West Virginia attaining sufi-