44 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



the great Burbank potato. He said that little incident led him 

 to take up his life work of plant breeding, and led to his suc- 

 cess entirely. Now what was accomplished by Mr. Burbank 

 may be done by every boy. Any farmers' boy may take up the 

 same kind of work, to improve the crop, may select his seed 

 carefully, and by proceeding in an intelligent way, produce 

 something of value to the community. 



Now every item of knowledge that we can add to this in- 

 dustry is a help to all. If we can make it an exact science it 

 simply makes it all the better, more interesting, and more en- 

 joyable. We cannot learn too much. That is what the De- 

 partment of Agriculture is doing, and what your State experi- 

 ment stations are attempting to do. How well they are suc- 

 ceeding I will leave you to judge. 



I thank you for your attention. 



The President. The time for adjournment has very 

 nearly arrived, but there is an opportunity for questions for a 

 few moments, if any of you desire. 



Mr. Platt. Can the Doctor tell us if the Government is 

 doing anything towards controlling the gypsy moth ? We hear 

 a good deal about it in our neighboring states, and it may be 

 very near us for all we know. 



Dr. Webber. In answer to the gentleman I will say that 

 they are working with it, but relative to the results I am en- 

 tirely uninformed. If you will address a letter to the Bureau 

 of Entomology at Washington they will give you a bulletin 

 and all the information they have on that subject. I am not 

 sufficiently informed to give you the details. 



Mr. Sedgwick. I would like to inquire of the gentleman if 

 the Department is investigating the potato rot? What is the 

 cause of that? 



Dr. Webber. They are investigating the potato rot very 

 thoroughly and investigating it in a very interesting manner. 

 The Department is trying to produce an immune strain. We 

 started work three years ago, I think it was, in cooperation 

 with the Vermont station, by the importation and testing of 

 foreign varieties of potatoes. I believe that every potato 

 grower has probably observed that certain varieties are less 

 susceptible to that disease than others, and we have knowl- 

 edge which has come to us of foreign varieties which are im- 

 mune. We have imported some of them. We sent Professor 



