160 PLANT PATHOLOGY 



and gardens, by the teachings of farmers' institutes, horticultural 

 societies, and similar organizations, and to a less degree by other 

 agencies. The result attained in twenty years is marvelous. At 

 first only few cultivators could understand the nature of the efforts 

 made in their behalf, and great indifference was shown toward 

 suggestions for warding off or controlling fungous diseases, even 

 when emphasized by abundance of proof and demonstration. But 

 with increase of knowledge has developed widespread interest. The 

 prophylactic and precautionary suggestions emanating from the 

 laboratories are rapidly incorporated into daily practice. Great 

 as is the increase in personal and national wealth, which this change 

 has wrought, even greater is its importance in the reaction which 

 has been exerted upon the growth of the science. It may be true, 

 as many times asserted of late, that America now leads in the de- 

 velopment of plant pathology, both as a science and in its appli- 

 cation as a useful art, and if so, this laudable situation has been 

 secured by increasing the opportunities for scholarly research and 

 by the cooperation of an educated constituency. 



I have said that the introduction of spraying gave new life and 

 new direction to the study of pathology. So successful have been the 

 results that it has furnished a sufficient reason for the expenditure 

 of large sums of money, in both government and state institutions, 

 for equipment and men to carry on the w T ork. The division of plant 

 pathology in the United States Department of Agriculture, founded 

 by Professor Scribner, developed by Dr. Galloway, and now admin- 

 istered by Dr. Woods, has within twenty years grown to commanding 

 proportions, with many laboratory workers and field observers, 

 using during the present year an appropriation of 3130,000. entirely 

 apart from what is expended in other departments of the Bureau of 

 Plant Industry. It is safe to affirm that if it had not been possible 

 to show that the efforts of the pathologists were resulting in the 

 saving of many millions of dollars to the country annually, this 

 material growth could not have been secured, and a large part of 

 the fundamental knowledge developed in connection with the work 

 would not have become available, while the general stimulus em- 

 anating from conspicuously successful enterprise must have been 

 wanting. 



A few words regarding some salient features in the history of spray- 

 ing will give more concrete form to these statements. I have said 

 that Bordeaux Mixture was the first efficient prophylactic substance 

 employed. Although it had been known for a hundred years that 

 copper sulphate, the active ingredient of Bordeaux Mixture, could 

 be used to free seed-wheat of the germs of hard smut, yet attempts 

 to employ it in other ways in controlling fungous enemies usually 

 resulted in disaster, until the fortunate addition of lime reduced the 



