47 
Graduate Students and Independent Investigators 
Enrolled During 1936 
Mr. Paul F. Brandwein, a graduate student of New York Uni- 
versity, has continued his work in plant pathology. He has under- 
ta 
—_ 
sen a study of the influence of inoculation and infection on oat 
plants by the loose and covered smuts. lis data for 1936 have 
been written up and presented as a thesis to New York University 
TORME 
— 
ie Master’s degree. 
Dr. Marie It. Conklin continued her investigations on the bac- 
teria which form tubercles on the wild legumes. She carried out 
an extensive series of field experiments with the organism causing 
nodule formation on the soybean.  Iler earlier results on “ Studies 
of the root nodule organisms of certain wild legumes ” were pre- 
sented as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at 
Columbia University, and were published in Soil Science during 
the year. 
Dr. Ilva Lawton, a member of the Biology Department of 
Hunter College, has continued her studies on regeneration and 
polyploidy in ferns. 
Forest PATHOLOGY 
3y ArTHUR HARMOUNT GRAVES 
Chestnut Breeding Work in 1936 
lor those who are unacquainted with the situation and to whom 
this report may come as the first one they have seen on this work, 
it should be stated that the American chestnut, a very valuable 
timber tree, has become almost extinct because of the attacks of 
a parasitic fungus, ndothia parasitica, tlowever, certain species 
of chestnut which are natives of Japan and China, e.g. the Japanese 
(Castanea crenata) and the Chinese (C. mollisstma), show con- 
siderable resistance to the attacks of the fungus. But these species, 
unfortunately, are trees of comparatively small stature, so that 
they can never supplant the American chestnut as a timber-produc- 
ing species. 
— 
The Problem.—TVo bring back the chestnut tree (to use a com- 
mon newspaper caption)—how can it be accomplished ? 
