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 
im portance. : 
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. 
Failing 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 
