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for it touches the field of industry at many points in addition to 
its purely agricultural side. 
I am writing, as you will note, from the general rather than 
the particular point of view, but | think there can be no doubt o 
the facts from whatever point of view they are regarded. 
ours sincerely, 
(Signed) Wititam C. eos 
(Secretary of Commerce in President Wilson’s Cabinet) 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
Bussey INSTITUTION FOR RESEARCH IN APPLIED BIOLOGY 
My dear Doctor Gager: 
I am very glad that there seems to be some prospect for an en- 
larged program at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden because of in- 
creased endowment. J am very enthusiastic about the matter 
because such research as is going on at the Garden is so impor- 
tant, yet because of its fundamental nature it is difficult to prove 
this adequately to those who are not trained biologists. 
Yours sincerely, 
(Signed) E. M. East, 
Professor of Experimental Plant Morphology 
BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR 
PEANT RESEARCH. INC 
YONKERS, N. Y. 
Dear Dr. Gager: 
I have your letter of December 16 asking my opinion on whether 
it was desirable for private institutions to expand their research 
along the line of genetics and plant diseases, or whether all of 
this research can be adequately cared for by state and government 
institutions. 
The state and government institutions are very busy in taking 
problems. This gives them little 
time for working out the fundamental problems. Our advance 
depends very largely on working out fundamentals. This can be 
best done by private endowed institutions because they do not 
need to answer legislatures or Congress as to the immediate ap- 
plication of the work they are doing. 
care of immediate, pressing 
