118 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



Mr. H. C. Young was also granted a year's leave of absence. He accepted 

 a fellowship established by the Plant Protection Institute at the Missouri 

 Botanical Garden, where he received his Ph. I), degree last month. His 

 place was not filled, owing to lack of funds, thus throwing an extra 

 load of work upon Dr. R. P. Hibbard. 



The three graduate assistantships were filled by the appointment of 

 Delbert >Swartz, a graduate of Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, Dewey 

 Stewart from Alabama l*olytechnic Institute, and John R. Cole of 

 Mississippi A. & M. College. 



The s])irit of scholarshi]» lias been excellent the past year, showing a 

 marked imjjrovement upon that of i)revious years. In part this may have 

 been due to the presence of five graduate students working toward their 

 M. S. degree in Botany, and one with a Ph. D. as his goal, in addition 

 to several graduate students who were taking Botany as a minor subject. 

 One of these graduate students, H. H. AVedgeworth, occupies the National 

 Research Council fellowshij) establislied here for the investigation of the 

 relation of sulphur to the control of potato scab. 



It is much to be regretted that the sliortage of funds made it impossible 

 to purchase some new microscopes, of which the department has been 

 in need for six years. This has also prevented the purchase of some 

 important a})paratus for advanced classes in Plant Physiology and 

 Plant Pathology. The Herbarium has sutfered most, however, from 

 this shortage of funds, in that is lias l)een impossible to mount and 

 add to the Herbarium many hundred plants that are ready for mounting, 

 besides preventing the purchase of some very important collections of 

 j)lants which should be added to the Herbarium iWe have been fortu- 

 nate in being the recipients of two donations of collections for the 

 Herbarium, one from Dr. D. A. Pelton, M. A. C. '88, now living in 

 Forrest Citv, Kansas, and the other a very valuable set of Washtenaw 

 County plants from I*rofessor B. A. Walpole, a most enthusiastic 

 amateur botanist, to whom the Dei)aitment of Botany is continually 

 indebted for assistance in various ways. These collections, however, it 

 has been im})Ossible to mount due to the shortage of funds 



The Botanical Garden has been criticized very justly for the lack of 

 labels. This again must be blamed upon the fact that no money was 

 available. In view of the fact that the Botanical Garden and the 

 Herbarium are of great service, it is highly regrettable that they have 

 had to suffer so conspicuously during the past two years. 



The botanical interest among the advanced students has been main- 

 tained, in part, by the honorary botanical society, the Botanical Seminar. 

 This past year this organization held a Darwin Anniversary Banquet 

 in February, at which Professor H. H. Bartlett of the University of 

 Michigan gave a very interesting address on the subject ''Mutation and 

 Evolution." It is expected to make this an annual event. 



I wish to record the most loyal co-ojteration of all members of the 

 botanical staff and employees of the department in this past year. With- 

 out such loj'alty nothing of value could have been accomplished. 



Respectfullv submittt^d, 



E. A. BESSEY, 

 Professor of Botany. 



