The cost of eradication will vary greatly according to the conditions.
If an average of 50 acres is scouted per day per man, at a labor
charge of $2.50 per day to include the cost of supervision, the cost
of scouting an acre is 5 cents. In a region of much blight, the
cost of efficient scouting will run four or five times this amount
unless the plan is adopted of determining only the edges of a spot
infection, and then cutting out all of the chestnut trees inside of
the area regardless of whether or not they show visible signs of the
blight. This seems to be the most sensible plan, since the results of
reinspection show that it is the trees inside of the edges of the spot
infection which in almost every case show reinfection. It will save
money not only in scouting, but in future control. On the Pennypacker
forest reserve in Perry County where the infections were thickly
scattered, the cost of scouting and removal in 1911 and 1912 on 1,620
acres was 73 cents per acre, or 52 cents per diseased tree, and this
is probably the lowest figure for which the work can be done. The most
expensive part of the work is the peeling of the stumps, and here a
great deal can be saved by following the proper methods. In a large
spot infection, the cost can be reduced considerably because of the
concentration of the work. A spot infection of 822 trees, ranging up to
18 inches in diameter on the stump (average 6 inches) was cut out at a
cost of $70.50 or 8.58 cents per tree. This included peeling not only
the stumps; but all merchantable portions of the trees, burning the
brush, sterilizing the stumps, and cleaning up thoroughly. This cost,
however, does not include scouting, which in this case can be figured
at 2 cents per tree. The total area of this spot was about three acres,
so that the total cost of scouting and eradication was approximately
$29. 00 per acre. In all but very small spot infections, enough
material is produced to pay for doing the work.
In Mifflin County, three men treated 2,341 clumps of six-year-old
chestnut sprouts at an average cost of 20.3 cents per clump. Each man
averaged 15 clumps per day; cutting, peeling, cleaning up and burning
were very carefully done at a cost of 16.3 cents per clump. Scouting,
creosoting, and loss of time from bad weather cost an additional 4
cents per clump. The average acre contained 205 clumps of chestnut
sprouts, with an average of 5 five-inch sprouts per clump; 29 clumps
per acre or 14 per cent. were diseased. The cost of thorough sanitation
thus amounted to $5.89 per acre. The average daily wage was $2.40,
including the cost of board and supervision.