Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-25
who work during the summer

who work during the summer
months only.
During 1925 control work was
conducted in IL towns In Cumper-
land county, Is towns in YORK coun-
ty, II towns in Androscogg1n-Sasa-
dahoc counties, II towns in OXFORD
county, and one town in kennepec
county. total of so towns. A small
amount of private work was also
done in Penobscot county.
In 1926 work was conducted In IL
towns in Cumberland county, nine
towns in York county, seven towns
in Androscoggin-S coun-
ties, 16 towns in oxford county, two
towns in Franklin county ana nVe
towns in Somerset county, total Oh
81 towns. In the last two named
counties eradication was performed
by the Brown Co. and the S. ID.
Warren Co. All towns in which
work is done are designated by the
Forest Commissioner under author
ization given him by Chapter liS,
Public Laws 1917. as areas within
which control measures against
white pine blister rust are necessary.
Within these aras 1t becomes the
duty of every land owner to remove
all currant and gooseberry bushes.
wild and cultivated, within 300 feet
of any white pine trees, prior TO the
closing of the eradication season.
In case of the failure of the owner
to destroy such plants within the
time specified, the Forest Commls-
sioner is authorized to cause them
to be destroyed and to charge the
actual expense to the town to be
collected as a State tax. Due to the
hearty cooperation of the pine own
ers once they were shown blister
rust in their own lots, it has been
necessary to resort to legal meas
ures in carrying out control work
but five times during the years 1879
and 1926. In these instances the
State has done the eradication work,
and collected payment for same
from the towns. The towns collect
from the owners in taxes.
Pine Owners Cooperate
The excellent cooperation of pine
owners in blister rust control work
is due to the educational factor that
enters into 1.-THE personal contact
our agents have with the pine own
ers, in which the owner is brought
face to face with the situation.
During the past two years $40 pine
owners were interviewed and 2,o24
! follow-up calls made. with the result
that $3.50 owners destroyed wild
ribes (currant and goosebery
| bushes). 321 destroyed cultivated
ribes, 264 pine owners promised to
| destroy wild ribes but could not
| complete the work by the end of
! the field season, 1877 promised their
moral support. Also 4,l33 field DEM
| onstrations of the disease to indlVld-
! uals were held. and 1859 individuals
were shown control methods.
| The above educational work dur
ing the years 1925 and 1926 led %
/ towns to appropriate S15.321 90, and
! eXpend S14. $500 for blister rust
! control work. Pine owners to the
number of. 1850 spent S1S.940.00 in
/ similar work. making a total of S33,-
I S2S.O 90 of town and owner money be-
| ing expended for the removal of
4.7S3.712 wild and 80. 4S3 cultivated
ribes from 81 .594 acres of pine bear
! ing lands. at per acre cost to the
! towns and owners of Al cents.
! Each year the Federal allotment
/ for Blister Rust control work in
!, Maine is $4,000 and the States APP
preparation is $4,000. With its funds,
4 the Federal government pays the
! salary of the state Leader, the sal
aries and expenses of the four coun-
ty agents, and six or seven tempor-
AIRY agents; the States funds are
expended for the salaries and eX-
penses of six or seven summer men,
the state Leaders expenses, and for
miscellaneous items.
| The u or Is temporary summer
men do the bulk of the scouting
work, that is the location of the
areas needing RIDES eradication.
Pursuing this method the entire
pine area in a town is examined for
ribes, thereby saving much unnec-
essary labor for the owner. Figures
show that by using this method of
procedure over 50 percent of the
acreage is worked by these scouts,
and that the pine owners perform
eradication on - percent of the
total area examined. During the
past two seasons the scouts eXamin-
ed nearly 100000 acres of land, in
Guiding the 800 foot protective strip
around pine stands. Combining the
acreage protected by the $3.50 inc
owners and the 10 scouts during this
two year period, over $4,000 acres of
land were freed of the rust carving
currant and gooseberry bushes.
Control in Other Sections
Although we have confined our eff
forts chiefly to the five southwestern
counties, there has always been a
need for control work in other Sec