87 
but also in many of the Universities, such as (amongst those I 
visited) Cornell, Purdue, Illinois, St. Paul, and Wisconsin. The 
future. It seemed most important to enlist the interest of 
American workers in the Bureau of Mycology, and I found this the 
more easy in that the entomologists in several of the institutions 
visited were very familiar with the Imperial Bureau of Entomology 
in London and spoke highly of its value. At Wood’s Hole, and 
the Cereal Conference, I met a number of members of the staff of 
institutions that [ was unable to visit. Considerable interest was 
evinced in what was regarded as a new departure likely to be of 
value to workers in other countries. Most of the institutions 
visited are prepared to exchange their publications with those of 
the Bureau. In several cases I asked if I could count on the 
direct assistance of specialists in particular subjects, and in all 
these found the greatest readiness to co-operate. I am sure that 
our work will be supported and encouraged very generally in 
America, and that we can get an immense amount of help there. 
{In Washington, in particular, I was promised invaluable assist- 
ance, everyone I approached, from Dr. Taylor, Chief of the Bureau 
of Plant Industry, downwards, being most cordial. The National 
Research Council and the Editorial Board of Botanical Abstracts 
were other bodies that undertook to give us any help they could, 
and the discussions I had with members of the latter Board were 
particularly useful in helping to determine the lines on which our 
new abstracting journal can be made most serviceable. 
The trend of research work in America is towards specialization, 
as it is elsewhere, but American workers have been accused of 
carrying this to too great a length. This is, I think, to misunder- 
stand the organization of research in that country. Though the 
individual is specialized, problems are approached from a wider 
angle than probably in any other country. One of the best 
illustrations of this can be got from the “ project plan of the 
organization of work in the Department of Agriculture. This is 
merely the co-operative investigation of a problem by a group of 
specialists under a project leader, each worker taking a particular 
aspect of the problem in which he is specially competent, but all 
keeping in touch with one another and with the project leader. 
The greatest care is taken, as a rule, to preserve the independence 
of the individual and to give the fullest play to original initiative 
and freedom of research. The inquiries are carried out at various 
centres, Federal and State officers co-operating in the work, and 
the former being posted, when necessary, to the State re 
most suitable for the purpose. Half-a-dozen men may be working 
in several different States in close co-operation and under a 
common leader, but each carrying out a different side of the 
investigation, and with complete freedom of action. 
