126 BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN MEMOIRS 



tensive researches in the taxonomy, morphology and physiology of 

 the fungi and other organisms that cause diseases; in the morphology 

 and physiology of the flowering plants; and plant breeding. The 

 directing ideal in physiology and plant breeding must be the improve- 

 ment of the plant for economic purposes, the development of resistance 

 to disease and the increase in plant production. 



Many phases of plant pathology are practically untouched. The 

 greatest advancement has been made in the study of the diseases of 

 orchard fruits, much has been done in the study of cereals, shade and 

 forest trees, and certain truck crops, such as potatoes. While much 

 work still remains to be done on the diseases of these crops, much 

 more is necessary on miscellaneous truck crops and on ornamentals. 

 The fact that truck and ornamental crops are grown under glass 

 presents new and complicated problems of the greatest economic 

 importance. 



Many people, even botanists, have the idea that all phases of 

 applied botany must be restricted to agricultural colleges. This is 

 an unfortunate error which tends to broaden the gap between the 

 botany on one side and horticulture, agronomy, forestry, etc., on the 

 other. Only recently, a well-known government plant pathologist 

 told the speaker that he had no great difficulty in securing young men 

 trained in plant pathology but that, unfortunately, many of them 

 were not trained in botany. Applied botany is in very great need of 

 workers who have a thorough fundamental training in botany plus a 

 specialized training in applied botany. Much of this work can be 

 done to an advantage in our universities provided the proper viewpoint 

 can be obtained. I use the term "viewpoint" guardedly, for while 

 it is true that many of our workers in applied botany are poorly 

 trained in fundamental botany, it is also true that many of our uni- 

 versity men are about as well fitted for applied botany as the students 

 of Hebrew. It has been said that no one can apply a science unless 

 he has learned the science, but it is equally true that some learn a 

 science that cannot be applied. The suggested applications in some 

 technical papers compare very favorably with the comic sheet in the 

 Sunday papers. 



But the few lines of work indicated in this paper do not include 

 all that are open to the botanists. Many of the manufacturing 

 industries are needing, and will need for years to come, many men 

 trained in botany and biochemistry. Some time ago the writer was 

 asked to recommend such a man to make investigations on cellulose. 

 F'ailing to find such a man, the company employed a chemist. The 

 manufacture of rubber is another industry in which the services of a 

 properly trained botanist can be very useful. And there are many 



