REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF PLANT 



INDUSTRY. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Plant Industry, 

 Washingt07i, D. C, October 10, 1920. 



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

 the Bureau of Plant Industry for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1920. 

 Respectfully, 



Wm. a. Taylor, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. E. T. Meredith, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



WORK AND ORGANIZATION OF THE BUREAU. 



The Bureau of Plant Industry deals with the various plant prob- 

 lems of economic importance, especially those relating to crop pro- 

 duction and utilization. These activities include the improvement 

 of useful plants by selection and breeding, the investigation of de- 

 structive plant diseases and development of methods for their con- 

 trol, the introduction of new plants from foreign countries, the im- 

 provement in cultural methods for producing crops, and the develop- 

 ment of improved methods of crop handling and utilization. 



The bureau maintains field stations and conducts experimental 

 work in all sections of the United States, including experimental 

 work on irrigated lands on Government reclamation projects. 



A seed and plant exchange service is conducted between experts of 

 foreign countries and American experts. The bureau supervises the 

 purchase and distribution of vegetable, flower, cotton, tobacco, lawn- 

 grass, and drought-resistant seeds, and of bulbs. 



The Avork of the bureau during the year has been carried on with 

 the following organization: 



Laboratory of Plant Pathology Erwln 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. 



Citrus-Canker Eradication Directed by K. F. Kellerman, 



Associate Chief of Bui-(>au. 



Blister-Rust Control S. B. Detwiler, Forest Patholo- 

 gist in Charge. 



Cotton, Truck, and Forage Crop Disease Investigations-- W. A. Orton, Pathologist in 



Charge. 



Crop Physiology and Breeding Investigations W. T. Swingle, Physiologist in 



Charge. 



Soil-Bacterlology and Plant-Nutrition Investigations Directed by K. F. Kellerman, As- 

 sociate Chief of Bnronii. 



Soil-Fertility Investigations Oswald Schreiner, Biochemist in 



Charge. 



Crop Acclimatization and Adaptation Investigations O. F. Cook, Bionomist in Charge. 



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



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