1914.1 PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 53 a 



REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 



GEO. E. STONE. 



During the past year the work in this department has been 

 along the usual lines, attention being given to new problems as 

 they arise. The drought was so severe that an unprecedented 

 number of urgent calls for investigation of diseases had to be 

 attended to, and the diagnosis work taxed our resources 

 severely. 



The usual seed work, consisting of separation and tests for 

 germination and purity, has been carried on, but the equipment 

 is deficient, especially for germination work. 



Mr. G. H. Chapman, research assistant, has been studying 

 at the University of Prague on leave of absence, and his place 

 has been taken by Mr. O. L. Clark, who has spent three years 

 in German universities and was at one time assistant to Prof. 

 L. Jost of Strassburg University, Elsass. 



Many of the lines of investigation which were outlined in 

 our last annual report have been continued, some of them being 

 practically completed and ready for publication. Studies of 

 the diseases of crops and of trees, together with investigations 

 of new methods in tree surgery and of long-distance, high-pres- 

 sure spraying nozzles especially adapted to shade tree work, 

 have been continued. Some of the nozzles have already proved 

 very satisfactory, and have been reported as cutting the expense 

 of spraying one-half, without any decrease in efficiency. One 

 has been patented in the writer's name and assigned to the 

 college, with the provision that any income derived from its 

 sale shall be used by this department subject to the approval 

 of the committee on experiment department and of the director 

 of the station. 



