EDITOEIAL. 309 



to embody the recommendations of the congress, and in a sense rep- 

 resent a concrete result of its deliberations. Several of the resolu- 

 tions pertained to agricultural science and are of special interest as 

 a reflection of the trend of opinion of the congress. 



One of these resolutions recommended that each country should 

 maintain a well organized live stock sanitary service with a corps of 

 executive officers, inspectors, and laboratory workers. These offi- 

 cers would endeavor so to enforce the live stock laws and regula- 

 tions as to prevent the importation, exportation, or spread within a 

 country of communicable diseases, and would conduct a survey to 

 locate such diseases. Cooperation between the inspection service of 

 the various countries was advocated, both in the exchange of infor- 

 mation regarding the presence of disease outbreaks and in methods 

 of control; and conferences between these services at regular inter- 

 vals to devise means to protect the live-stock industry were sug- 

 gested. Some progress already made along these lines was reported 

 from several of the South American countries. 



The convening at an early date of an American plant protection 

 conference was recommended in another resolution, with a member- 

 ship of technical experts. The topics suggested for such a confer- 

 ence included the formulation of necessary legislation, means of 

 establishing competent scientific bureaus, and the undertaking of 

 cooperation in research work and the control of plant introduction. 

 Plans are already being perfected to work out a scheme of interna- 

 tional cooperation along some of these lines. 



The question of the reclamation of arid lands was declared to be 

 deserving of immediate consideration by the respective nations. It 

 was recommended that each country designate a commission to study 

 existing laws affecting the use of water, the adjudicating of water 

 rights, methods of conservation, and the use of water for irrigation 

 purposes. A cooperative study by governmental agencies of forest 

 conditions and forest utilization was likewise recommended. 



A resolution adopted by the previous congress favoring the insti- 

 tution of organized meteorological work to serve as a basis for the 

 establishment of a Pan American meteorological service was re- 

 affirmed. The hope was expressed that the nations not yet providing 

 such a service would establish it at an early date. 



The wider distribution of publications and other information re- 

 garding the agricultural production of the several countries was fav- 

 ored. Among the means to this end suggested was the establishment, 

 in connection with the Pan American Union or other institution, of a 

 department which, among other duties, could unite the various 

 specialized organizations of the respective nations into appropriate 

 groups, facilitate the interchange of ideas and information among 



