DEPARTMENT REPORTS. 145 



Lewis on the Blackleg of the I'otato and of Raymond Nelson on certain 

 celery diseases was interrupted by their withdrawal to accept positions 

 elsewhere. Mr. Nelson left to become plant pathologist for the Illinois 

 Central Railroad. 



The Botanical Seminar has continued to hold its bi-weekly meetings 

 in the Botany Building as in previous years. The membership of this 

 organization is limited to advanced students in botany who must pass 

 a very stiff examination before they are admitted. The Sem. Bot. as it 

 is usually known has proved to be a valuable auxiliary to the teaching 

 and investigational activities of the department. Their annual public 

 address this past year was delivered by Professor L. H. Pennington, 

 of Syracuse University, on "White Pine Blister Rust." 



Several members of the departmental staff gave papers before the 

 Michigan Academy of Science at its meeting at the close of March. 

 Dr. G. H. Coons was chairman of the Botanical Section at that meeting. 



Respectfully submitted, 



ERNST A. BESSEY, 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1917. Professor of Botany. 



REPORT ON THE WORK OF THE SEED LABORATORY. 



President F. S. Kedzie, College. 



Dear Sir — The state seed law is, as you know, administered not by the 

 Michigan Agricultural College but, under the direction of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, by "inspectors, assistants and deputies." Under 

 this provision of the law I was designated by the Board to be in charge 

 of the work and Miss Bertha* A. Hollister was appointed seed analyst 

 in immediate charge of the work under my general supervision. Ac- 

 cordingly I am submitting as the main part of my report the report 

 which Miss Hollister has made to me. 



May I venture to ask that the request made by Miss Hollister for 

 500 reprints of this report be granted? We have need to keep the 

 seed dealers of the state informed upon the affairs of the Seed Laboratory, 



When the present seed law was passed by the legislature in 1913 

 it was in many respects the best law of its kind in the country. It 

 embodied many of the principles now contained in the proposed model 

 seed law recommended jointly by the Association of Official Seed 

 Analysts of North America and the Seed Trade Association. I believe 

 that it will be well for seed dealers and others interested in maintain- 

 ing a high degree of purity of seeds in this state to put themselves in 

 touch with this proposed law and to consider it from all angles, with 

 the idea of having some action taken by the next legislature should it 

 seem desirable at that time. One proposition, especially, that of having 

 germination tests will greatly increase the work of the laboratory should 

 it be made a part of the state law and would necessitate a considerably 

 larger appropriation than is now available under the present law. 



Respectfully submitted, 



ERNST A. BESSEY, 

 In Charge, Seed Laboratory. 



East Lansing, Mich., June 30, 1917. 

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