REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF PLANT 



INDUSTRY. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Washington, D. 6'., October i^, 1915. 



Sir: I have the honor to submit herewith a rejjort of the work 

 of the Bureau of Plant Industry for the fiscal year ended June 

 30, 1915. 



Respectfully, 



Wm. a. Taylor, 

 Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



The Bureau of Plant Industry is concerned chiefly with the broad 

 problems of crop production and crop utilization. The wide scope 

 of these activities, the diversity of the fundamental researches which 

 may establish, protect, or improve different crops, the occasional 

 sudden appearance of new destructive diseases or the unexpected 

 development of other agricultural emergencies require an organiza- 

 tion of unusual flexibility. The investigational staff, therefore, is 

 divided into many independent offices, each with a definite allotment 

 of funds and with authority for specific investigations. Minor 

 emergencies within the field of the plant industries usually can be 

 met through active cooperation between the units most nearly con- 

 cerned. At present the following offices are established : 



Laboratory of Plant Pathology Erwin F. Smith, Pathologist in Charge. 



Pathological Collections Flora W. Patterson, Mycologist in Charge. 



Fruit-Disease Investigations M. B. Waite, Pathologist in Charge. 



Investigations in Forest Pathology— Haven Metcalf, Pathologist in Charge. 



Cotton and Truck Disease Investi- 

 gations W. A. Orton, Pathologist in Charge. 



Crop Physiology and Breeding In- 

 vestigations W. T. Swingle, Physiologist in Charge. 



Soil-Bacteriology and Plant Nutri- 

 tion Investigations Directed by Kai-1 F. Kellermau, Assistant 



Chief of Bureau. 



Soil-Fertility Investigations Oswald Schreiner, Biochemist in Charge. 



Acclimatization and Adaptation of 



Crop Plants: Cotton Breeding O. F. Cook, Bionomist in Charge. 



Drug-Plant, Poisonous-Plant, Phys- 

 iological, and Fermentation In- 

 vestigations R. H. True and W. W. Stockberger, Phys- 

 iologists in Charge. 



Agricultural Technology N. A. Cobb, Technologist in Charge. 



Fiber-Plant Investigations L. H. Dewey, Botanist in Charge. 



Grain Standardization .7. W. T. Duvel, Technologist in Charge. 



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