February 1, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



105 



mate uses in view. That there can be no 

 applied science unless there is first some- 

 thing to apply, is a truism ; it appears to be 

 one of the most difBcult ideas for the lay- 

 man to understand, and yet we are almost 

 entirely dependent upon lajTiien for the 

 funds necessary for research in pure sci- 

 ence. 



I have tabulated, below, some of the 

 various ways in which research and the 

 fruits of research in botany may contribute 

 to our national resources in peace, and thus 

 to preparedness for war or for any other 

 crisis. 



1. RESE.\RCH IN PURE SCIENCE 



(a) Genetical studies to ascertain the 

 principles of heredity in man and animals 

 as well as in plants. 



(&) Plant physiology, increasing, among 

 other things, our knowledge of the nutri- 

 tional needs of crops, and affording a ra- 

 tional basis for fertilizing, crop-rotation 

 and other crop problems. 



(c) Plant ecology. The economic value 

 of ecological studies was discussed by Pro- 

 fessor Cowles in his vice-presidential ad- 

 dress before Section G, in 1914. As he 

 then pointed out, one could not foresee 

 tliat a study of the succession of vegetation 

 on the sand dunes of Lake Michigan, stimu- 

 lated merely by interest in pure science, 

 might afford the only basis for the just 

 settlement of a lawsuit in Arkansas in- 

 volving property rights to the extent of 

 several millions of dollars. Yet such was 

 the case, as many of my hearers recall. 



Even more significant is the application 

 which has been made of our knowledge of 

 wild vegetation to determine what agricul- 

 tural crops are best adapted to a given 

 region. 



Several years ago the speaker was asked 

 to make a study of a certain locality to 

 ascertain whether a widespread injury to 



vegetation was or was not caused by fumes 

 from the stacks of near-by manufacturing 

 plants. By careful measurements of the 

 thickness of the layers of annual growth 

 of tree trunks it was shown that an abrupt 

 decrease in growth and vigor was con- 

 temporaneous with the establishment of 

 the manufacturing plants. This, with other 

 evidence, rendered a final decision easy and 

 certain. 



On the basis of Crocker and Knight's 

 studies of the effect of illuminating gas on 

 carnation flowers, together with other evi- 

 dences, I have several times submitted a 

 report that saved a gas company an ex- 

 pensive lawsuit, and also secured justice to 

 the florist. 



It might have been diflScult 10-15 years 

 ago to forsee what economic good, if any, 

 could result in a careful mapping of the 

 geographical distribution of Sphagnum 

 moss, yet, according to Rendle, Sphagnum 

 has come to be greatly needed for surgical 

 dressings, and all information as to Sphag- 

 num areas, their accessibility, size purity 

 of growth, etc., has assumed large impor- 

 tance. 



"Very few persons would have imagined 

 that a study of the fermentation of horse- 

 chestnut seeds would have in it any pos- 

 sibilities of practical application, but we 

 learn that thousands of tons of these seeds 

 are now required in Great Britain in the 

 manufacture of munitions of war, and 

 that every ton of seeds used means the 

 saving of half a ton of grain. So in- 

 stances might be multiplied. 



(d) Plant pathology, including a study 

 of the life histories of parasitic organisms, 

 affording information essential for a ra- 

 tional diagnosis, prophylaxis, and treat- 

 ment; the physiology, ecology, and geo- 

 graphic distribution of phytopathogenes. 



To one who can appreciate the value of 

 research only in terms of dollars and cents. 



