M.VRCH 1, 1918] 



SCIENCE 



211 



the War Emergency Board on the part of the 

 pathologists and administrative oflScials di- 

 recting the agricultural work of their respec- 

 tive districts. Hence the board is assured of 

 active and enthusiastic support on all sides. 

 The board will find its most important work in 

 capitalizing and translating into action the 

 spirit of cooperation which has been stimu- 

 lated and developed by the national emergency 

 caused by the war. 



The board noted with approval the definite 

 program of cooperation both in extension and 

 research work adopted by the pathologists of 

 the Southern Section in the conference held at 

 Atlanta, Ga., January 30 and 31, which must 

 greatly increase the efficiency of the patholog- 

 ical work undertaken in that section this sea- 

 son. It was decided that similar conferences 

 should be called during February and March 

 by the commissioners of the other five sections 

 of the country, thus giving the pathological 

 workers of each district an opportunity to dis- 

 cuss their common problems and decide upon 

 definite plans for cooperative action. 



Commissioner Kern reported on the progress 

 of the census of pathologists being carried on 

 under his direction. Enrollment question- 

 naires were sent out to pathologists and botan- 

 ists some time ago, and all were urged to send 

 in the names of others to whom the enrollment 

 cards should be sent, in order that we might 

 have as complete a census as possible of all 

 persons able to carry on pathological work 

 during the coming season. The response has 

 been hearty and replies are still coming in. 

 While it is not yet possible to make a definite 

 statement as to the total number of available 

 pathologists, it is already apparent that there 

 will be a serious shortage of workers to carry 

 out the important emergency work already 

 planned by state and federal agencies. Every 

 effort will be made to utilize all available men 

 in the positions where they will be of greatest 

 service, and lists of workers are being pre- 

 pared for distribution, classifying those who 

 have registered according to geographical lo- 

 cation, special qualifications, length of time 

 available for work, and in other ways. 



Extension work for this season, in charge of 

 Commissioner Whetzol, was considered at some 



length. The activities of the War Emergency 

 Board in this direction must consist largely in 

 efforts to stimulate a more concentrated and 

 correlated attack upon certain important dis- 

 eases through the established state and federal 

 channels. It was agreed that the decision as 

 to what extension campaigns should be pushed 

 must be decided by the conferences of patholo- 

 gists of the various sections. These are in 

 most cases regional problems and can not be 

 wisely decided by the board for the country as 

 a whole. 



The teaching of pathology during war times 

 was discussed by Commissioner Whetzel. In 

 view of the great and increasing shortage of 

 pathological workers, all teachers of pathology 

 should endeavor to give their promising stu- 

 dents special training. Particular emphasis 

 should be laid on pathological courses in many 

 educational institutions, and such courses 

 should be introduced where they do not now 

 exist. An increased supply of young patho- 

 logical workers should thus be assured one 

 year from now. Moreover, during the present 

 semester special war emergency short courses 

 open to all students without prerequisite 

 should be instituted to give elementary train- 

 ing in plant pathology with a view to prepar- 

 ing the students for more effective work on 

 the farms this coming season. 



Commissioner Stakman outlined his work 

 to date on the correlation of emergency re- 

 search. Eesponses to his questiormaire on re- 

 search problems were quite general and rea- 

 sonably prompt. While it was the general 

 opinion that much pathological research can 

 not be called strictly war emergency work on 

 account of the uncertainty as to time of ob- 

 taining results, yet there are many research 

 problems of a distinctly emergency nature 

 which can and should be pushed. The great 

 work of the board in this field will be to coordi- 

 nate research work and to secure voluntary 

 cooperation in the solution of pressing prob- 

 lems by working through the established state 

 and federal agencies. Such cooperative re- 

 search on a broad scale has already been be- 

 gun on the subject of seed treatment for cereal 

 smuts and will be pushed to an early conclu- 

 sion in order that present uncertainties as to 



