Excerpt from A Report on the Chestnut Tree Blight: The Fungus, Diaporthe Parasitica, Murrill; May, 1909

In December, 1908, I was invited by Dr. J ane Baker, the physician in charge of Chester County Insane Hospital, to speak before an Educational Conference at Embreeville, Pa. On this Visit several infested chestnut trees were found. The disease was not prevalent.

The inspection of forests to ascertain the presence of the blight, under the direction of the Department of Forestry, began March 29th, 1909. The counties first to receive attention were, Dauphin, Leba non, Berks (west), Cumberland, and Franklin. This is a rich agri cultural section of the State lying between South Mountain and North Mountain or the Blue Ridge. The Lebanon and Cumberland valleys are a limestone formation and very few chestnut trees are to be found until the mountain slopes are reached where the chestnut growth is abundant. A careful inspection of the forests was made on each side of the Susquehanna where the river cuts through the Blue Ridge to the north of Harrisburg, and at Middletown where it wends its way beyond the broken ridges of South Mountain. An examina tion of chestnut forests was made at Wernersville in Berks County, and as far west as Mont Alto in Franklin. Examinations were made along South Mountain at Hunters Run, Mt. Holly Springs, and farther south at Idaville. The Chestnut tree blight was not found to the north and west of South Mountain. It becomes an interest ing question whether the valley from twelve to twenty miles or more in width between North and South Mountains may not act as an effective barrier to the progress of the disease into the interior of the State. At Mont Alto, the State Forestry Academy was visited. This institution is doing most excellent work. The instructors are able and practical men, and the students are enthusiastic lovers of nature.

The value of having trained men in the service of the Department can not be too highly estimated. The next region of the State to be inspected was to the south and east of South Mountain. From the city of Lancaster three trips were made by trolley, first to Ephrata, econd to Quarryville, and the third to Gap. At each of these places the blight was found. Specimens of bark were taken from trees six and eight inches in diameter. Infected sprouts or coppice about stumps were obtained. Under the microscope spores of the deadly fungus in uncountable millions were shown. The disease was most prevalent at Gap. Ephrata in Lancaster is south of South Mountain and is only twelve miles from Wernersville in Berks county where the forests of South Mountain furnished no evidence of the disease.

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