BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 49 



work affiliated under this Bureau by Executive order were brought 

 together by authority of Congress. The work of the Bureau, there- 

 fore, is now conducted by the following offices: 



(1) Vegetable Pathological and Physiological Investigations. 



(2) Botanical Investigations and Experiments. 



(3) Pomological Investigations. 



(4) Grass and Forage Plant Investigations. 



(5) Experimental Gardens and Grounds. 



(6) Arlington Experimental Farm. 



(7) Tea-culture investigations. 



(8) Purchase and distribution of valuable seeds. 



(9) Investigating production of domestic sugar. 



There have been but few changes in the organization since my last 

 report. Acting upon your recommendation to Congress, the Plant 

 Pathologist and Physiologist, in charge of the investigations in 

 pathology and physiology, was, by act of Congress, authorized to act 

 as chief of Bureau in the absence of the chief. Early in the year 

 Prof. F. Lanison-Scribner severed his connection as Agrostologist 

 of the Department to accept a position as chief of the insular bureau 

 of agriculture in the Philippines. Professor Scribner was made a 

 collaborator of this Department, and is organizing his work in such a 

 way as to bring about a close relationship between agricultural 

 researches in this country and in the Philippines. Prof. W. J. Spill- 

 man, of the Washington Agricultural College, was made Agrostologist 

 of the Department and entered upon his duties January 1, 1902. 

 Near the close of the fiscal year Di-. B. M. Duggar, Physiologist, 

 resigned his position to accept the chair (»f liotany in the Missouri 

 State University. Dr. Duggar has been made a collaborator of the 

 Bureau and will continue important investigations in connection with 

 the Department. Owing to the increased work of the Bureau, a num- 

 ber of new assistants were secured for various lines of investigation. 

 In most cases these liave been appointed from the registers prepared 

 by the Civil Service Commission from examinations held to fill such 

 places. In addition to the assistants thus engaged, a number of 

 scientific aids and student assistants have been brought into the 

 Bureau and have been assigned to important investigations connected 

 with research Avork. The scientific aids ai-e proving a valuable addi- 

 tion to the Bureau workers, and as time goes on will eventually 

 become the chief source for recruiting our workers, as the older men 

 are called away by offers elsewhere. 



ENCOURAGEMENT OF ADVANCED WORK IN THE BUREAU. 



Since the reorganization of the Bureau the policy has been to encour- 

 age the most advanced woi'k by placing the resi^onsibility for different 

 lines of investigation and research directly upon the men themselves. 

 It is believed that the best results can be obtained always by assign- 

 ing men to different lines of work and making them feel the respon- 

 sibility for its advancement. Wherever this policy is carried out there 

 is a worthy ambition to advance in all directions, and as a result the 

 Bureau, as a whole, feels an impetus which can be given in no other 

 way. In all cases the investigators in the different lines are encour- 

 aged to make their work as thoroughly practical as possible. It is of 

 course recognized that no valuable practical woik can be carried on 



AGR 1902 i 



