INTRODUCTION 6 



gether in the sunken garden. 'But there will be two hundred million people 

 in this country pretty soon. It's going to be a question of bread, of a primary 

 food supply. That question is going to be beyond politicians and sociologists. 

 I think I'll work out some institution to deal mth plant physiology, to help 

 protect the basic needs of the two hundred million. Not an uplift foundation 

 but a scientific institution dealing with definite things, with germination, 

 parasites, plant diseases, plant potentialities. I can understand a thing of 

 that sort. I could do something with it.'" 



In 1919 the Farm and Research Corporation was formed, but no plans 

 had been developed as to what it was to do or how it was to be done. Evi- 

 dently the Colonel assumed that Dr. Pope would plan and build the labora- 

 tory. Pope was innocent of any considerable knowledge about plants, and 

 nobody knew better his innocence of such knowledge than Pope himself. 

 The Colonel advised Pope that if he didn't know about such work, he'd 

 better pack his grip and go where he could get sound advice. Pope visited 

 various universities and agricultural colleges, among them Cornell, Univer- 

 sity of Wisconsin, and University of Illinois, with the question, "What 

 should the proposed institution undertake, mainly research or mainly ex- 

 tension?" Eugene Davenport, Dean of Agriculture of the University of 

 Illinois, gave the deciding answer when he said in effect, "Agricultural ex- 

 tension is well organized and cared for in the United States, but if we do 

 not have more fundamental knowledge, we may soon have nothing more 

 to extend." Basic research on plants became the function of the corpora- 

 tion. Then followed a series of conferences A\ath plant scientists in several 

 institutions as to the best organization for such an institution and the 

 most significant problems that could be undertaken. The early suggestions 

 were not satisfactory to Colonel Thompson, so Dr. Bacon suggested that 

 Prof. John M. Coulter, Professor of Botany at the University of Chicago, 

 be called in as an adviser. 



Prof. Coulter visited Colonel Thompson at his home in Yonkers in the 

 fall of 1920 and presented a proposed outline for the organization of the 

 Institute. This was accepted by the Colonel and the selection of a Director 

 to plan and build the Institute was taken up immediately. Prof. Ezra J. 

 Kraus of the University of Wisconsin was offered the position, but after due 

 consideration decided not to accept. Later, the author, then Associate 

 Professor of Plant Physiology at the University of Chicago, was offered the 

 position and accepted. On February 1, 1921, the Director and Mr. John M. 

 Arthur, an assistant and graduate student in plant physiology at the Uni- 

 versity of Chicago, began planning the Institute. Their duties at Chicago re- 

 quired one half of their time until August last of that year. The other 

 half was used in visiting research laboratories in the United States, in 

 searching for and buying books for the new library, and in considering pro- 

 jects that ought to be investigated, along with the type of equipment and 

 building and personnel needed to develop the projects effectively. 



The Director spent the fall of 1921 and a portion of the winter of 1922 in 



