2418 LEAFLETS OF PHILIPPINE BOTANY [Vor. VII, Arr. 113 
The Philippine Government should certainly soon recog- 
nize the high importance of laying the foundations here for 
work in Plant Pathology. In the United States and in most 
of the English colonies, the crucial importance of this work 
has long been recognized. These Islands have already had 
one great agricultural industry wiped out by a fungous 
disease, another seriously crippled, and losses from these 
causes are constantly occurring in various current crops. In the 
face of this there is no official Plant Pathologist in the 
Islands. As I have frequently stated elsewhere, this line 
of work, together with Economice Entomology, forms the 
very highest order of agricultural insurance. With the help 
of Reyes and Raimundo, I have every week become acqua- 
inted with new plant diseases, many never recognized in 
these Islands before, many entirely new to Science, and 
many of very serious economic importance. We must have 
a thorough technical knowledge of all these things as 
rapidly as we can get it, if we are to build up a sound 
agricultural practice in these Islands. When our much needed 
Plant Pathologist comes, he will find the ground broken 
over a field of unsurpassed opportunities, and we shall be 
able, very fortunately, to furnish him with first class as- 
sistants from among our graduates. 
Even while awaiting permanent organization of the work, 
we might be able to accomplish a great deal of value, had 
we any laboratory or laboratory equipment. What we have 
accomplished has depended to a very large extent on night 
work and personal expense. Reference to the small myco- 
logical library possessed by the government necessitates a trip 
to Manila, which we can rarely accomplish. These condi- 
tions must explain why the work has not developed more 
rapidly, and must absolve us from any suspicion of not 
having clearly recognized the fundamental importance of this 
work to the development of Philippine Agriculture and Phil- 
ippine Science. 
Again I have to acknowledge the kindly helpfulness of 
Dr. Copeland, Dr. Foxworthy, and Mr. Merrill, and especially 
Mr. Elmer—who has accomplished such a colossal work in 
Philippine Botany through private enterprise, and who has 
borne the entire burden of the publication of these papers. 
