May 9, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



739 



tion of so simple and fundamental a pro- 

 cess as the ascent of sap in plants yet 

 remains to be proposed; other problems in 

 physiology are stated to be equally un- 

 solved. In a like position the vegetable 

 pathologist finds himself with respect to 

 some of the problems of pathology. Un- 

 solved problems there are, and unsolved 

 problems there will remain so long as men 

 continue yearly to extend the boundaries 

 of our knowledge of plant life. 



I feel well assured that the state of our 

 knowledge warrants us in recognizing plant 

 pathology as a well-established division of 

 botanical science entitled to the coordinate 

 rank I have earlier indicated. If this be 

 granted then what reasonable grounds ex- 

 ist to warrant the arrangement of courses 

 and the establishment of chairs of vege- 

 table pathology? I think the basis of our 

 modern education affords us but one an- 

 swer. The state charges itself mth edu- 

 cational matters in order that her citizens 

 may be more useful in perpetuating the 

 state and in contributing to its welfare and 

 prosperity. The state is already demand- 

 ing the services of those who are capable 

 of assisting agriculture by controlling the 

 diseases of culture plants; with the lapse 

 of years these demands promise to develop 

 in increasing proportions. 



The institutions of learning which leave 

 their graduates without all the training for 

 this work that the state of our knowledge 

 affords are missing one of the fairest op- 

 portunities for usefulness. The graduate 

 who finds that his notes on economic 

 mycology fail to connect his parasite ade- 

 quately with the changes in its host, wiU 

 probably accuse his instructor of leaving 

 liim to find out for himself what he should 

 have been taught in some manner, at least, 

 Avhile he had a student's leisure and be- 

 fore the unceasing demands of actual ser- 

 vice pressed upon him. Generally speak- 

 ing, American institutions leave the 



student in this position, or offer him an 

 excellent opportunity to make his own 

 pathological inferences from physiological 

 instruction. In my judgment, the demand 

 for well-considered instruction and re- 

 search in plant pathology is already for- 

 mulated and only awaits avenues of expres- 

 sion to make itself felt. It would seem 

 that the land grant colleges and state uni- 

 versities are situated at a great advantage 

 by their opportunities, in the line of courses 

 in a pathological botany that shall be peda- 

 gogically sound and actually immediately 

 helpful. They have this fine opportunity 

 because of their relations to the state at 

 large and to the agricultural community 

 in particular, and by either direct or con- 

 tributory connection with the experiment 

 stations and the United States Department 

 of Agriculture. Have such coui'ses been 

 made prominent and are these great in- 

 stitutions realizing their full opportu- 

 nities ? And are the time and facilities in 

 the way of helpers allotted in our state 

 university or elsewhere, such as make 

 nothing more to be desired? To both 

 of these questions most would give either 

 a qualified or an unqualified negative 

 answer. So long as this is true much re- 

 mains to be done for the future of vege- 

 table pathology. It may be added that 

 so far as my own inquiries and those 

 of certain of my friends have extended, 

 we find plenty of disposition to create 

 separate chairs in botany in our uni- 

 versities, and properly so, but there is 

 little manifest disposition to provide for 

 instruction in plant pathology. If we con- 

 trast this apparent indisposition — I say 

 apparent advisedly, for those on the out- 

 side can judge as to what is being consid- 

 ered within only by announcements — if, I 

 repeat, we contrast this apparent indisposi- 

 tion of the institutions training the future 

 physicians of the plant world with that 

 existing in medical colleges wherein there 



