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REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF THE LABORATORIES 
Dr. N. L. Brirron, Direcror-1n-Cuter. 
Sir: I have the honor to submit the following report for 
the year 1918. 
General Matters 
The strictest economy has been exercised during the 
past year in all matters under my charge. The positions 
of the assistant in laboratory work and of the assistant in 
propagating work have become vacant and have not been 
filled. Only the most necessary of supplies have been 
purchased and no new equipment has been installed. 
Records of meteorology have been taken and the pro- 
grams arranged for monthly conferences of the scientific 
staff and students of the Garden, of which reports have 
been published in the Journal. 
Personal Investigations 
During the past few years most of my research as well 
as that of various students has been largely directed to 
studies of fertility and sterility. The experiments have 
aimed to determine the occurrence, the nature, and the 
heredity of various types of sterility and the rather prac- 
tical question of the effects of selection and inbreeding. 
For these purposes species of Cichorium, Plantago, Verbas- 
cum, Nicotiana, Ammocallis, Lythrum, Linum, an sch- 
scholizia have been grown during the year. Studies of 
fertility and sterility in plants propagated vegetatively 
have also been continued especially in Narcissus: and 
Hemerocallis. In conducting further work it seems de- 
sirable (1) to make a further general survey to determine 
the various types of sterility and (2) to center intensive 
study on species which exhibit the various types of sterility, 
are favorable for cultivation, and which may also be of 
some economic importance. I should be pleased to expand 
the work to include cases of the latter. Numerous prob- 
lems connected with these studies are especially well 
adapted for student research and cooperation. 
