CO885-(26N14) — Page 494

382

Reference :-

885/26

PUBLIC RECORD OFFICE, LONDON

ALLY WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE BE REPRODUCED PHOTOGRAPHIC- COPYRIGHT PHOTOGRAPH-NOT TO]

206

APPENDIX II.

General Financial Position as at 30th September, 1921.

£ 8. d.

Cash in hand:

Invested

Crown Agents

£ 8. d.

4,000 0 0 764 2 8

Balance on Director's account at

Barclay's Bank, Kew, and in petty cash

33 16 31

Cash receivable:

Government Grants unpaid

1,975 0 0

100 0 0

Interest (approx.)

Estimated liabilities for remainder of

financial year:

Salaries

Apparatus and furniture

Books (Library)

General expenses

Review (three months)

Fees for Translators

1,632 14

4

321 17

6

29 10 9

100 0 0

115 0 0

25 0 0

£2,224 2 7 £6,872 18 11

4,648 16 41

Estimated cash balance, 31st March, 1922

£6,872 18 11 £6,872 18 11

57486

No. 67.

IMPERIAL BUREAU OF MYCOLOGY.

REPORT ON DIRECTOR'S VISIT TO AMERICA, JUNE TO AUGUST, 1921. THE immediate purpose of my visit to the United States was to attend a Conference on the diseases of cereals held by the American Phytopathological Society at St. Paul (Minnesota) and Fargo (North Dakota) from July 19th to 23rd. The more important objects were, however, to visit, a number of the chief centres of agricultural and botanical research in the eastern, southern, and middle-western States, and to meet as many of those engaged in research, and the organization of research in these subjects, as was possible in the time at my disposal. The specific aims that I had in view were: (1) to bring the international aspects of the work of the Imperial Bureau of Mycology before our American colleagues; (2) to enlist their co-operation in certain branches of this work, and to ascertain what assistance we might expect to obtain in the United States; (3) to examine the organization and present development of the study of plant pathology and its application to the pre- vention or control of crop diseases in the United States; and (4) to visit some of the chief crop areas of the eastern half of the country and see the conditions under which the crops are grown and the measures taken to improve varieties and methods. The time was insufficient to carry out this last adequately.

I left England on 28th June and returned to London on 30th August. Forty- four days were spent in America.

1. The Conference on Cereal Diseases.-This was attended by some. fifty members of the American Phytopathological Society (including several Canadians). a few American visitors, and representatives from England, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. It met at St. Paul from the 19th to the 21st of July. moved to Fargo on the night of the 21st, and terminated there at 10 p.m. on the 22nd. The daylight hours were mostly given to field meetings at the experimental farms at St. Paul and Fargo, with automobile trips through the wheat belt of Minnesota and North Dakota, while meetings to discuss specific subjects were held in the evenings. The members were also taken through one of the largest elevators and flour mills in Minneapolis, and were entertained by members of the business com- munity of Minneapolis and Fargo. I was called on to speak on both occasions, and

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also to respond for the visitors on the first evening. I had several occasions to join in the discussions in the field and conference room, and numerous opportunities of discussing subjects of more particular interest with smaller groups and individuals. The Conference concerned itself chiefly with the cereal rusts, particularly with the control of black rust by breeding resistant varieties, and the campaign for eradi- cating the barberry, on which this parasite spends part of its life, with the diseases caused by Helminthosporium, Fusarium, and Sclerospora and with the newly intro- duced "take-all" and "flag smut" of wheat. There is probably more work being done on these subjects than on any other branch of plant pathology in, the United States at the present moment, and we had the benefit of having this work explained, and in some cases demonstrated, by those actually engaged in it. Educationally, the Conference was of considerable value.

2. The formation of direct relations with American Institutions. This was in many respects the most important outcome of my visit. Owing to the prominence given to the study of mycology and plant diseases in the United States there are at present more botanists engaged in these subjects than in any other, probably more than in all others put together. This is true not merely in institutions specifically for applied science, such as the Bureau of Plant Industry at Washington and the State Experiment Stations, but also in many of the Universities such as (amongst those I visited) Cornell, Purdue, Illinois, St. Paul, and Wisconsin. The study of pure systematic mycology is, after a period of neglect, again showing marked evidence of vitality so that the lead taken by Germany in this branch will, I think, pass to America in the future. It seemed most important to enlist the interest of American workers in the Bureau of Mycology, and I found this the more easy in that the entomologists in several of the institutions visited were very familiar with the Bureau of Entomology and spoke highly of its value.

I had opportunities of explaining the work of the Bureau in addresses to the staff of the Bureau of Plant Industry at Washington, and the members of the Cereal Conference at St. Paul, and also to groups of the staffs of the Universities of Wisconsin, Purdue, and Cornell. I also visited the Botanic Gardens at St. Louis, New York, and Brooklyn primarily with the same object, and had many opportuni- ties at the other institutions visited during my tour of discussing our work with individuals. At Wood's Hole, and the Cereal Conference, I met a number of members of the staff of institutions that I was unable to visit. Considerable interest was evinced in what was regarded as a new departure likely to be of value to workers in other countries. Most of the institutions visited are prepared to exchange their publications with our proposed journal. In several cases I asked if I could count on the direct assistance of specialists in particular subjects, and in all these found the greatest readiness to co-operate. I am sure that our work will be supported and encouraged very generally in America, and that we can get an immense amount of help there. In Washington, in particular, I was promised invaluable assistance, everyone I approached, from Dr. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau of Plant Industry. downwards, being most cordial. The National Research Council and the Editorial Board of Botanical Abstracts were other bodies that undertook, to give us any help they could, and the discussions I had with members of the latter Board were particu- larly useful in helping to determine the lines on which our new abstracting journal can be made most serviceable.

In the Federal Horticultural Board at Washington I found what is probably the finest subject index of the parasitic fungi and diseases of plants of economic value in existence, and ascertained that a request to copy these cards will be favour- ably considered. I found, for instance, that a typist could copy in less than two days a bibliography of the diseases of the Para rubber tree, which would cost us weeks of labour to compile afresh, and in which we had indeed already spent a good deal of time. A definite proposal to get this index copied will be put up separately to the Finance Sub-Committee.

In return for the various offers of assistance received, I promised to help American workers in inquiries concerning mycological questions in the British overseas possessions.

3. Organization of Research Work in America.-The trend of research work in America is towards specialization, as it is elsewhere, but American workers have been accused of carrying this to too great a length. This is, I think, to misunder- stand the organization of research in that country. Though the individual is specialized, problems are approached from a wider angle than probably in any other