PRESIDKXTIAL. ADDRESS. SECTION C. 4/ 



into desert, and that many more are now moving" in the same 

 direction. It is imperative that we should ascertain exactly 

 what is happening" in these cases; until we know this we are 

 as helpless as a medical man who is called upon to prescribe 

 for a patient of whose symptoms he is ignorant. All we know 

 at present is that the problem is one of great complexity. Its 

 investigation will almost certainly demand the co-operation of 

 the systematic botanist, the physiologist, the bacteriologist, 

 and the chemist; at least, it is quite certain that it wall not be 

 mastered by any one of them alone. It is one of those pro- 

 blems which must engage the combined attention of the stafif 

 of a well-equipped Botanic garden, and which is not likely to 

 be solved until the Government is able to command the services 

 of such a staff. 



Finally, there must be mentioned a subject which is of great 

 interest both to the Agriculturist and the Grazier — viz., that of 

 plant diseases. A large proportion of these are caused directly 

 or indirectly by parasitic fungi. In a covmtry which grows 

 wheat, mealies, grapes and sugar cane, it is sufficiently well- 

 known that some of these entail economic consequences of the 

 most serious order. As a result of the close attention paid to 

 these matters in Europe and America, our knowledge of plant 

 diseases has advanced in recent years with great rapidity. 

 What has South Africa done to cope with the diseases from 

 which its Agriculturists have suffered so much? The Trans- 

 vaal alone has realised the importance of this question and 

 has appointed as an officer in the Agricultural Department a 

 highly-qualified expert in ]\Iycology. whose work has justified 

 his appointment many times over. With this exception, no 

 South African Government has made adequate provision tor 

 this work. The extended department of mycology which will 

 no doubt result from the centralisation of Agricultural ad- 

 ministration, would be most suitably and economically attached' 

 to the State Botanic Garden — suitably, because the work of the 

 mycologist at many points touches that of the physiologist, the 

 morphologist and the systematist, and each is benefited by the 

 experience and knowledge of the rest; economically, because 

 if the mycologist has a separate department of his own much 

 of the laboratory, greenhouse, and garden space, as well as the 

 library and equipment, must be duplicated. 



I have by no means reached the end of a reasonable catalogue 

 of the activities of a properly organised National Garden, but 

 I have still something to say on another aspect of the question, 

 and cannot spare time to deal further with this one. But I 

 think I have said enough to establish my second proposition — 

 viz., that an abundance of work is awaiting the appearance of 

 such an institution. This work has a strong claim upon a 

 civilised and educated community; much of it is intimately con- 

 cerned with the prosperity of the country; most of it will 

 remain undone until the Nation, realising its importance, 

 supplies the means for doing it. 



I proceed now to the third division of mv subject, which 

 perhaps presents rather more difficultv than those which have 



