DOMINION EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 58 



DIVISION OF BOTANY. 



The work carried on by this Division is advisory and 

 experimental. There are many problems connected with 

 agriculture and fruit-growing which require careful investiga- 

 tion. The farmer desires assistance concerning the identity and 

 eradication of the weeds that are troublesome in his crops; his 

 live-stock may die as the result of eating poisonous plants of 

 whose nature he is ignorant; or his harvests may be diminished 

 by the injurious action of parasitic microscopic organisms — 

 bacteria and fungi. The fruit-grower also only too frequently 

 has to suffer the partial or total loss of his crop through these 

 minute organisms unless he has the knowledge necessary to 

 guard against such an undesirable result. Information is like- 

 wise desired concerning the cultivation of special crops such as 

 broom corn, hemp, and other fibre plants, or interest may be 

 shown in the cultivation and management of drug or medicinal 

 plants. In short, the work of the Botanical Division is manifold 

 in its variety and its extent can hardly be discussed in a few 

 paragraphs. To give a general idea, however, of its scope, a 

 few remarks may be made on the folloAving branches of its work. 



Plant Pathology and Mycology. 



As the diseases to which our economic plants are subject 

 are mostly due to the action of parasitic organisms, modern 

 scientific methods of studying these diseases include: 1. The 

 microscopic examination of the organism and its effects on the 

 internal structure of the host. 2. The isolation of the causal 

 organism and the growing of it free from any other organism 

 on various prepared culture media. 3. The use of these pure 

 cultures to reproduce the disease in healthy plants followed by 

 the subsequent re-isolation of the identical organism from the 

 plants thus infected. This procedure conforms to the rules 

 laid down as lately as 1882 by the illustrious Robert Koch for 

 demonstrating the connection between a disease and its causal 

 organism. The operations involved are carried on partly in 

 the pathological laboratory situated on the first floor of the main 

 building and partly in the field and in the pathological green- 

 house. The laboratory is fully equipped with the apparatus 

 necessary for this work and visitors are sure to find something 

 of interest at any time. Amongst the diseases at present under 

 investigation may be mentioned Silver Leaf of fruit trees, 

 Black Knot of cherry and plum, Scab and Rhizoctonia disease 

 of potatoes. Smut diseases of grain, and several others. In 

 addition to investigation work, a large amount of time is devoted 



