THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK 



fair to contribute immeasurably to our knowledge of plant life and 

 plant culture. 



To put it another way (and in the words of Director William 

 Crocker of the Institute itself) its field is to be "the investigation 

 of the fundamentals underlying plant growth and behavior." 

 Therein, he explains, it takes the middle course between the botan- 

 ical research activities of private colleges and universities (which 

 are essentially pure science) and the work of the Federal and State 

 investigational institutes which, of necessity, must devote most of 

 their eflforts to practical problems encountered in commercial 

 phases of horticulture and agriculture. "We are not going to per- 

 mit ourselves to be rushed off our feet by such practical considera- 

 tions," he points out, "nor shall we let any basic truth go unscru- 

 tinized. But, on the other hand, wherever it appears warranted 

 or desirable, we will be free to follow up lines of practical appli- 

 cation as far as they can be pursued." 



Now just what does this mean to horticulture? As a mat- 

 ter of comparative illustration, recently discovered "fundamental 

 facts" about malaria are that it is caused by an organism which 

 lives in and is transmitted by a species of mosquito, and that 

 the extermination of that kind of mosquito effectually prevents 

 the spread of the disease. Upon this basis has been built the 

 modern system of malaria control and prevention. It is upon 

 knowledge of such fundamentals that the solutions of all our 

 problems rest — both those with which we are already familiar 

 and those yet to be disclosed. We know the basic truths about 

 wheat rust and its relation to the common Barberry ; we know 

 what causes the club-root of Cabbage and how it can be rendered 

 impotent ; we are rapidly learning why one Hydrangea bloom is 

 pink and another blue — and with the knowledge we are becoming 

 able to secure whichever result we want whenever we want it. But 

 there are far more such questions unanswered than answered, and 

 upon many of them depend the phenomena and conditions that 

 often determine the success and prosperity of the commercial 

 plantsman or the success and legitimate enjoyment of the ama- 

 teur gardener and plant lover. To find these answers will be the 

 work of the Thompson Institute and its investigators. 



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