State and federal blister rust annual reports

Arranged by source of report (Conservation Dept. or U.S. Dept. of Agriculture) and therein chronological.

This series consists of a set of unpublished manuscript reports detailing the state's effort to eradicate blister rust from its forest resources from 1916 through the mid-1950s.

The first group of reports (1916-1956), prepared by the Conservation Department's Bureau of Forest Pest Control, provide detailed information concerning the control of blister rust in the state for the calendar year. A typical report contains an executive summary outlining major accomplishments or obstacles confronted during the year; detailed data concerning the eradication of currants (town, county, acres, total number of plants removed); time lost due to inclement weather; names of individual property owners, location, and costs of eradication; U.S.G.S. topographical maps depicting the location of stands of white pine (including property owners' names and acres) treated during the year; and (occasionally) photographs of damaged white pine stands. The reports are the original typed manuscripts.

A second group of annual reports (1939-1957), published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Division of Plant Disease Control, contains similar but less detailed information than that found in the Conservation Department annual reports. These reports contain an executive summary highlighting blister rust control efforts in the northeast during the year along with detailed figures concerning eradication efforts of currant plants. The reports also contain maps that broadly depict areas of eradication work along with charts and graphs that summarize expenditures, acres treated, number of plants eradicated, etc.

Also included in the series is one volume containing typed transcripts of proceedings of conferences that were held in 1916 and 1917 in Albany to confront the blister rust blight. This volume consists of original typed transcripts of several sub-committees that were part of two conferences held in Albany to develop strategies to combat the blister rust disease and to discuss the status of blister rust activities in other states in the northeast. Interspersed among the proceedings are miscellaneous letters to and from the commissioner of the Conservation Department concerning blister rust control and copies of published articles concerning blister rust activities in other states.

Container list.

A brief description of the blister rust disease and its initial appearance in this country is available.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.