WAS) 
that he developed a different relationship with them than is the 
case between the head and the subordinates in many other institu- 
tions. He depended on his curators to carry out their assignments 
and accepted suggestions or modifications of plans from time to 
time. 
Research was the primary feature of the departments of plant 
breeding and of pathology. Many investigations were conducted 
in the taxonomy of certain groups of plants and these investiga- 
tions included exploratory trips made to various parts of the United 
State, to Cuba, to Puerto Rico and other parts of the world. 
There were studies in flower structures, in genetics, in disease re- 
sistance, etc. The work in these fields shows again the broadness 
of his vision and of his sympathy in research in many widely dif- 
fering problems. 
(4) Coéperation with Botanical and Horticultural Organisa- 
tions. Botanical gardens have for a long time exchanged seeds, 
rare plants and herbarium specimens. It has been the custom for 
an institution to send one of its curators to visit other institutions 
to lecture or to study. I have no personal knowledge of how 
many different botanical gardens Dr. Gager and his curators may 
have visited in the past quarter century or to how many botanical 
societies they may have belonged. Dr. Gager had been president 
of both the Botanical Society of America and of the Torrey Bo- 
tanical Club, and Vice-President and Chairman of the Botanical 
Section of the American Association for the Advancement of 
Science. He had been a member of the Botanical Committee of 
both the Chicago and the New York Worlds Fairs and and a 
member of several committees of the National Research Council, 
and of other important organizations too numerous to mention. 
I do have personal knowledge of the codperation which Dr. Gager 
gave to various horticultural societies, and I wish to go into more 
detail about this because I know of no other institution which has 
done so much in this field. 
I first met Dr. Gager because when I was t 
of the very new American Iris Society I came to Brooklyn to ask 
his help in establishing a test garden for Japanese Irises. Dr. 
Gager was most cordial and encouraging to me. He authorized 
the project. A collection of Japanese Irises was established. 
—_— 
1e very new president 
