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great and growing importance to the state and nation, it was 

 thought that something useful might be done ; and the disease of 

 plants, considering the havoc and losses caused by the yellows of 

 the peach, the blight of the pear, the black knot of the plum, 

 and a host of other plant diseases, was also regarded as a subject 

 urgently demanding attention. 



Considering the equipment of the department and the existing 

 arrangement within it of the work of instruction and supervision, 

 it was thought that the most available subject to be taken up as 

 station work was that last named above, the diseases of cultivated 

 plants, and especially those caused by parasitic fungi. This was 

 accordingly chosen and the work placed in charge of the chief 

 assistant of the department, Assistant Professor William R. Dud- 

 ley, whose study of cryptogamic botany had given him special 

 fitness for the work. To afford him as much time as possible for 

 carrying on the investigations called for by this new undertaking, 

 Professor Dudley was relieved of all work of instruction for one 

 term and a part of the instruction for the remaining two terms of 

 the college year, the work from which he was relieved being pro- 

 vided for by the appointment of an instructor whose salary is 

 paid by the University. In connection with this change in work, 

 the arrangement of laboratories was so changed that all instruc- 

 tion in cryptogamic botany and histology, and all station work, 

 was to be done in the upper laboratory, and all other laboratory 

 work of the department in the laboratory on the main floor. 



As a further preparation for station work, purchases of appar- 

 atus, books, and collections were made from station money. 

 These were largely chosen by Professor Dudley, who was at that 

 time in Germany on leave of absence. They consist in the main 

 of an excellent Zeiss microscope with suitable accessories ; several 

 collections of fungi, consisting of specimens representing a large 

 number of species named by competent specialists ; chemical, 

 bacteriological, and physical apparatus ; and a considerable num- 

 ber of scientific works relating to the eryptogamia, and especially 

 fungi. In addition, large experimental and other tables, and 

 cases for books and specimens, were provided. 



With this equipment, the rearrangement of laboratories, and 

 the appointment of an assistant instructor as above indicated, the 

 station work was begun by the department in October, 1888. 

 The result of the work thus far accomplished has been in part 



