EXPERIMENT STATION REPORTS. 187 



REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 



Director R. S. Shaw: 



Sir: I submit herewith, the following report of the work of the 

 Dotanical Division for the ^ear ending- June 30, 1911. 



The positions provided for by the action of the Station Council a 

 year ago namely Research Assistant in Plant Physiology and Research 

 Assistant in Plant Pathology were not filled until respectively Novem- 

 ber, 1910 and January, 1911. A large part of the time of the two men 

 for the first two or three months, was devoted to planning for the 

 laboratory- and arranging for the purchase of proper apparatus. The 

 quarters occupied by them first, namel}- the northeast room on the 

 second floor of the old part of the Botanical Building, proving too 

 small, room 16 and the adjoining office in the new part of the build- 

 ing were assigned for the use of the botanical division. These rooms 

 have been fitted with gas and electrical connections and the apparatus 

 has been set up in them and much of it is now in use although some is 

 of so recent arrival that it has not yet been set up. Owing to the de- 

 lay in the arrival of apparatus and interference with work due to 

 the removal of the office, there are no results of importance to report 

 from the work of either of the men. Prof. Coons has made one or two 

 trips to different parts of the state in connection with the investiga- 

 tions of canker disease on apple and peach and has been busily occu- 

 pied with answering correspondence with regard to plant diseases. Dr. 

 Brown has been planning his work and getting under way certain ex- 

 periments on some problems of soil physiology of plants. 



The examination of seed samples in accordance with the provisions 

 of the pure seed law has been put under my direction and has r^uired 

 a considerable part of my time. The seeds were collected by a special seed 

 inspector and were examined by students who had been trained in the 

 study of weed seeds, Mr. Mancel T. Munn having charge of the work 

 of tiie students. A report on the results of the tests will be issued 

 this summer. 



Respectfully submitted, 



ERNST A. BESSEY. 



Botanist. 



East Lansing. Mich., Jnne 80, 1911. 



