REPORT OF THE IMPERIAL ECONOMIC 

 BOTANIST FOR THE YEARS 1907-09. 



(A. Howard, M.A., A.R.C.S., F.L.S.) 



Charge of Office. — The Imperial Economic Botanist 

 held charge of this section during the period under review, 

 with the exception of six months from August 8th, 1907, 

 to February 8th, 1908, when he took combined leave on 

 account of illness, and Mr. R. J. D. Graham, M.A., B.Sc, 

 Supernumerary Botanist, was placed in charge of current 

 duties. While on leave he visited the various botanical 

 gardens and experiment stations in Ceylon and spent some 

 time at Peradenia, the head-quarters of the Ceylon Agri- 

 cultural Department. He is indebted to Dr. Willis, the 

 Director, for special facilities in studying the work and 

 organisation of his department. Some new ideas were 

 obtained which he hopes to make use of in India. Visits 

 were also paid to some of the leading cacao, rubber, and 

 tea estates in the island. Some work on geographical dis- 

 tribution was done at Newara Eliya, a paper on which it is 

 hoped to publish shortly in England. 



2. Teaching and Training. — The teaching work of the- 

 section commenced on October 1st, 1908, with two students 

 from the Central Provinces. One of these was sent for a 

 special course on the principles of fruit growing, the other 

 for a general course of training in economic botany to 

 fit him for the duties of first assistant to the Professor of 

 Botany at the Nagpur Agricultural College. Both these 

 students did excellent work and profited very considerably 

 by their stay at Pusa. Two students from the mycologi- 

 cal section attended the course of lectures and practical 

 work on physiology in this section. During the present 

 session two students from ihe Punjab have joined the 

 section for a general course, and at least two more students 



