iNStltUTE AND COLLEGE, I'USA, FOR 1910-lL 1 



tion is good and moisture is adequate. Disappointment is 

 bound to result, if the influence of these two all-important 

 factors in crop production in India is disregarded. 



The improvement of tobacco is being carried on on 

 similar lines to that of wheat. Both in yield and quality 

 of leaf very encouraging results have been obtained. 



The botanical study of certain fibres was continued, the 

 isolation of the varietiss of san {Crotalaria juncea) and 

 patwa {Hibiscus cannabinus), and their improvement by 

 selection and crossing, being the principal work in progress 

 in this direction. 



Further work on pollination in important crops of India 

 was carried out, and a Memoir published giving the data 

 for a number of crops. 



Towards the end of the year, the lines of work on the 

 improvement of the fruit industry of Baluchistan were 

 developed, and the site of a new Experimental Station for 

 the purpose selected near Quetta. 



6. Mycology. — I held charge of this section during the 

 year, in addition to the office of Director. Mr. Shaw con- 

 tinued to hold the post of Supernumerary Mycologist. 



Much time was given to systematic work, as it was 

 found that progress in Indian economic mycology was 

 greatly hampered by the difficulty in determining the iden- 

 tity of the fungi of the country. All the specimens of one 

 of tile larger groups, the Ascomycetes, were worked through 

 and annotated lists were published after the close of the 

 year under review. 



The charge of the campaign against palm disease in 

 Godavari and Kistna Districts was taken over by the 

 Madras Mycologist in 1910. It is being continued on the 

 same general lines as before. A full account of the disease, 

 and of the campaign against it carried on since 1907, was 

 written by me and published as a Memoir in September, 

 1910. The conclusions arrived at are that the operations 

 have been entirely successful in limiting the disease in 

 Godavari to the area previously infected : the work in 

 Kistna was started later, but the progress is encouraging 



