4 
has recently made public a statement of Dr. Mehring, of the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture, that, 1f research in the control of plant 
diseases should cease, the United States would be facing famine 
within ten years or less. Science Service recently noted that, 
““Paxes on farm products, heavier than any legislative body would 
* The 
even dare levy, are assessed every year by plant diseases. 
| 
principal diseases of Indian corn caused a loss of 10.3 per cent. 0 
the crop (2,839,959,000 bushels} in 1928; 8.5 per cent. in 1929; 
7.6 per cent. in 1930. Cotton diseases caused a loss of more than 
17 per cent. of the crop (14,373,000 bales) in 1928. Wheat, the 
third big-money crop when prices are normal, was taxed by tts 
— 
main fungus enemies to the extent of 7.8, 8.2, and 5.7 per cent. 
respectively, of its total yields during the three-year period. The 
loss ran between eight and nine hundred millions of bushels. 
Great as they were, these losses would have been much larger were 
it not for the practical application of the results of researeh in 
An article in the Scientific Monthly for Oc- 
ife 
plant pathology. 
tober, 1933, records the fact that during the past 19 years the 
of telephone poles has been doubled by applying the results o 
oss from decay of fruits and 
timber disease studies, and that the 
vegetables in transit has been reduced from $96,000,000 in 1921 
and $48,009,000 (in round figures) in 1922 to less than $26,000,- 
000 in 1931. In other words, the saving of loss in this one item 
alone, of fruits and vegetables in transit, $22,000,000 from 1922 
to 193 
pai 
, is more than one third the total amount ($60,000,000) 
that may be withdrawn from the United States Treasury by the 
uring 1934, as an- 
— 
entire Federal Department of Agriculture « 
nounced June 19, 1933; 1t is more than four times the total ap- 
propriation for the U.S. Bureau of Plant Industry ($5,839,000) 
for 1932, which has been reduced to $3,728,000 (withdrawal 
ure) for 1934. If these savings could become available for the 
lisease 
Oo 
4 
various governmental and private agencies engaged in plant « 
research, it would not be necessary to abandon important projects, 
in. which hundreds of thousands of dollars have already been in- 
vested for equipment and operation, and to add those engaged in 
this research to the crowded ranks of the unemployed. But, ob- 
viously, we are not living in Utopia. The statistics here cited also 
fact that, notwithstanding the numerous existing 
emphasize the 
