170 STATE BOARD OK AGRICULTURE. 



nnd iiKlividual supervision demands a larger nnnil>er of instnielors than 

 some of the non-laboratory snbjeets. This is true because of the smaller 

 sections that one person can handle. Thus in botany a laboratory sec- 

 tion of twenty-four can be and is handled by one instructor, but this is 

 too large for the best interests of the student. Furthermore, an instruct- 

 or properly trained to handle such a section actually costs more than 

 for a similar grade of work in a non-laboratory course. These factors 

 make teaching in a laboratory subject much more expensive than for 

 other subjects. I have calculated the teaching cost per student jjer term 

 in the past year to have been as follows: fall term, .|8.85; winter term, 

 112.05; spring term, $12.91. 



The average number of teaching hours per full time instructor was 

 about 18 per week; varying from 20 to 21 in the fall term to 15 

 to 17 in the spring term. Experience has shown that another hour's 

 work is required in preparation of the laboratory material, correcting 

 papers, etc., for every hour spent in teaching. Thus the actual average 

 time given to teaching and the work connected with it has been about 

 36 hours per week. The result is that the instructors have difficulty to 

 find enough time for the reading of current botanical literature and in- 

 dividual stud}^ that are necessary to keep them up to date in the sub- 

 ject. 



In December I attended the joint meeting of the National and the 

 Michigan Potato Association, delivering an address entitled "Seed Po- 

 tatoes and Potato Diseases." In March I attended the meeting of the 

 Michigan Academy of Science, of which I was President, and gave the 

 presidential address, "The Sexual Cycle in Plants" as well as a paper 

 entitled "A Harmonic Theory of Nuclear Action." I also attended the 

 Biological Conference of the Schoolmasters' Club, discussing the report 

 on science teaching in secondary schools. 



Early in September, 1915, Assistant Professor Darlington made a 

 walking trip for the purpose of collecting specimens for the herbarium 

 and plants for the Botanical Garden. He walked from Kalamazoo to 

 Allegan, Holland to Muskegon. At the latter point I joined him and we 

 walked to Casnovia, Newaygo, Howard City and part of the distance to 

 Big Rapids, Besides this several local trips were made in the vicinity 

 of the College. 



Chietiy through the efforts of Professor Darlington the Botanical Gar- 

 den is being brought back to its former position as representing as far 

 as possible the Michigan Flora. Thanks to the wet summer of 1915 

 the inadequate water supply of the garden was not felt as in previous 

 years. This year a new connection has improved the supply. The 

 larger lily pond was fixed up so as to prevent musk rat injury which 

 had been very serious recently. A careful survey of the garden was 

 made by Professor Darlington, who is a trained surveyor, and a map 

 prepared. He has also reorganized the methods of keeping track of the 

 plants in the beds. 



The herbarium has received the du])licates of the very valuable collec- 

 tion of plants made by Mr. C. K. Dodge of Port Huron, who knows the 

 flora of Michigan better, probably, than any other living man. These 

 have been mounted and placed in the herbarium. 



As usual the department has prepared and sold at cost, for the use 



