An experiment, probably the first of its kind, has been installed by
this Commission in co-operation with the United States Forest Service,
at Mt. Gretna, Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, to determine accurately
the effect of the chestnut blight on the quality of chestnut wood
products, and upon the durability of such products. Chestnut telephone
poles, some diseased and some from healthy wood, have been set. Thirty
standard railroad ties, partly diseased, and partly not, were placed
in a siding of the Cornwall & Lebanon Railroad. A fence was made with
mortised posts and rails, some of them from diseased trees, and others
from healthy trees. To determine the direct effect of blight lesions
in telephone poles, cross arms were placed through these lesions; also
some fence posts were set with lesions at the ground line. The complete
results of this experiment will not be possible for several years, but
it was expected to take records at regular intervals each year.