1889.] BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 3°7 



Division of the Department of Agriculture as is evidenced 

 by the printing of the various bulletins of the division and 

 the publication of a journal devoted to the special interests ot 

 botanists, and in view of the unequalled facilities afforded by 

 the large amount of botanical material accumulated in the 

 division available for the preparation of much needed mono- 

 graphs of important or difficult groups of plants, wish to urge 

 upon the attention of the Secretary of Agriculture the desira- 

 bility of prosecuting this special work and its early publica- 

 tion, both in the interest of botanical science and for the di- 

 rect assistance of station botanists." — F. L. Scnbner, b. I. 

 Tracv and B. D. Halsted, committee. Professors 1 racy 

 Coulter, Scribner and others urged the importance ot both 

 making the fullest use of the division and aiding in increas- 

 ing its collections and usefulness. 



A paper by Dr. Beal was next read by the secretary upon 

 " The Province of the Botanist in the Experiment Station. 

 The stations are new, and widely different views prevail as 

 to the work a botanist should do. Some think the botanis . 

 for example, should study the life-histories of parasitic tang, 

 but the testing of remedies belongs to the horticultuiist. 

 Others consider that the study of bacteria is most closely re- 

 lated to the work of the veterinarian. If the .agncultuiist is 

 not able to distinguish among grasses in his expenment.il 

 plots he should call in the assistance of the ^tamst-ine 

 botanist should cross or hybridize plants, improve gi asses 

 and other crops, and test remedies for tungus diseases. J 

 above all, the staff of any station should work h"™"^ 

 and this requires that plans of experiments should be submit 

 ted in detail to the whole station staff. 



Dr. Coulter thought there was one of two thing for the 

 ion authorities to*ao in securing a botanist. £)**% 



station 



know what they want done, then a man s hou 1 1 ue uui 

 that is a specialist in that work ; or (2) if ^fc™*™ 

 wise way is to get a competent botanist and then let him 



lect his work. _ , . i f , in : d , tench' 



„, The question was raised : Should stat.on bo an.ttecl.. 



There was a difference of opinion. Di . A rttro i . o 



h - * «~ of the more ad; anced otanica s lufent^in h.s.1.^ 



oratory, but the elementary instruction is done b> aun 

 sitv professor who is not on the station staff. A ■W£J% 

 TV v> i «i„ r^int-pH to the point undei cuscussivu 



Di Bessey was closeh r f*™J ™d he close connection 01 

 and was read at this time. It tavoreu ^ aanntt hllt c hi»»tlv 

 the station and the university tor various leasons, but Chiefl) 



