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not as yet had much experience in this group. Trained systematic mycologists are not available in England at present, except in a few permanent appointments.
Two new appointments of abstractors have been made, Mr. V. Akimoff and Mr. J. H. Milanes, both of whom joined in October. The Bureau is now in a position to abstract the literature and supply translations from practically all European languages in which mycological work is published. For Japanese, we shall prob- ably have to rely, as the Entomological Bureau does. on translations or abstracts made in Japan and paid for separately. Miss M. C. Podevin was appointed typist (publications) with effect from 19th September.
With the removal of the Plant Pests Branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, who shared premises with the Bureau until 18th April, separate arrangements had to be made for cleaning the office. This has been provided for at a cost of 15s. per week, which is charged under salaries.
Publications. The decision to commence the publication of an abstracting journal on the lines of the Review of Applied Entomology was made at the Fourth General Meeting of the Managing Committee of the Bureau, on the 20th June last. It was ascertained that the financial position justified this step, which was estimated to cost £1,880 in the first full year. The additional staff required was estimated to cost £1,270 (one Assistant (publications) at £530, two Abstractors at £300 each, and one Typist at £140), printing, indexing, and distribution £560, and fees to trans- lators £50. Added to the current year's estimated expenditure of £2,530, the total amounting to £4,410, leaves a margin in band on our current income which is £4,625 In subsequent years, however, salary increments amounting to £105 each year must be met.
It is proposed to issue the first number of the new journal in January, and the material is ready at the time of writing. Permission is being sought from the Treasury to enable the Stationery Office to undertake the printing for us on recover- able account, as they have considerable experience in printing the Review of Applied Entomology.
44
General Work of the Bureau.—The following examples are illustrative of the kind of inquiry that overseas mycologists are referring to the Bureau.
From Nairobi we have had a request to supply information in regard to the biological retting of flax; from Barbados in regard to the work done in Europe on die-back." and wither-tip" disease of citrus plants; from Pretoria in regard to the geographical distribution and characters of the "curly top" disease of bananas; from New Zealand for the present.position of the question of inoculating or inject- ing woody plants against disease, and for a summary of knowledge of the root- tubercles of Podocarpus; from Nigeria for literature on cotton diseases; from the Seychelles for an account of the cause and treatment of "little-leaf" disease of coconut and other palms; from Zanzibar for any information available. regarding chlorosis and leaf-curl of cassava; from the Federated Malay States regarding coco- nut bud-rot in other countries. Each of these inquiries necessitated an extensive examination of literature, with, in several cases, direct references to investigators in other parts of the world for information not published or inaccessible. Besides these a number of specimens have been sent in for identification or critical examina- tion. From India the cause of the newly discovered linseed wilt was determined by comparison with a series of cultures from America, Holland, Ireland, and East, Africa to be the same as that of the destructive flax wilt of America. The foot-rot and scab fungus of temperate cereals was discovered on rice from Uganda, and may be the cause of an equally serious disease in this crop in the tropics generally; a new disease of Hevea rubber was identified from East Africa; a specimen of suspected blister rust from Himalayan pines was submitted to expert examination in the United States and proved to be a distinct species: vanilla vines from the Seychelles, where the crop is severely diseased, were intensely affected by a parasite which is ordinarily not serious, and attention has been directed to the necessity for searching for the underlving predisposing causes of the diseased condition. Other specimens were received from the West Indies, India, Mauritius. the Seychelles, the Federated Malav States. Fiji, Egypt, the Sudan, Uganda, and Nigeria.
The National Collection of Type Cultures at the Lister Institute is now receiving cultures of parasitic fungi for maintenance in the living condition. The advantages of the research facilities thus made available have been brought to the notice of overseas mycologists who will, no doubt, avail of them extensively. The recent extension of the serious sugar cane disease known as the "Fiji Disease" ta
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the Philippine Islands, was notified to the Bureau from Washington, and a circular was issued to the chief sugar-growing colonies warning them of this new danger. In a few cases assistance has been given in procuring fungicides and advising on technical apparatus and books. From the United States, France, and other foreign countries we get frequent requests for information regarding diseases in the British Empire and the like.
The collections have been enlarged by donations from India, the Philippine Islands, and the United States, as well as by a very fine set of rubber diseases from the recent Exhibition of Rubber and other Tropical Products, presented by the Government of the Federated Malay States and the Rubber Growers' Association. But it will be several years before we can get together a really good collection of the diseases of economic plants, especially from the tropics.
Library. Most of the important reference works required for the Bureau library have now been obtained. The periodical literature is, however, still very incomplete. We have been unable to trace about 150 journals and periodical reports that contain mycological references in London. Several thousand cards have been added to the card index.
Director's Visit to America.-The Director was invited to attend the summer meeting of the American Phytopathological Society at St. Paul and Fargo, last July, and to visit a number of the chief research and experimental centres in the United States. This visit was sanctioned, and a sum not exceeding £300 allotted to cover expenses, by the Managing Committee of the Bureau at the June meeting. I sailed from Southampton on 28th June and arrived back on the 30th August. During this period Miss Wakefield, of the Kew Herbarium staff, was placed in charge of the current work of the Bureau, with the kind permission of the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. A separate report* on the tour is being submitted and will, I trust, show that it was of the greatest possible advantage to the Bureau by the establishment of direct relations with a large number of the leading phytopathologists and mycologists in the United States and Canada and the inside knowledge of their work and problems gained by personal discussion. Very general interest in the work of the Bureau has been aroused in the United States, and we will profit enormously by this in the future. The total cost of the journey was £273 Os. 54d.
7th November, 1921.
APPENDIX I.
Statement of Receipts and Expenditure for the Half Year ending 30th September,
Government Grants
Interest
Salaries
Apparatus and furniture
Books (Library)
Fees for translations
1921.
General expenses (postage, stationery, travelling, fuel, light, telephone, and petty expenses) Expenses of Director's visit to
America
Pension contribution to India Office Miscellaneous
* No. 67.
£
Receipts.
s. d. 1,750 0 0 91 11 5
Expenditure.
£ s. d.
743 4 3
£1,841 11
193 1 1 139 11 10
12 01
81 1 2
273 0 5
177 2 6
20 14 4
5 £1,828 7 8
381
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