July 11, 1902.] 



SCIENCE. 



53 



same is true of many of the important in- 

 vestigations that have been carried on in 

 the matter of studying noxious plants, as, 

 for example, weeds, etc. 



The advanced forestry work of the pres- 

 ent also owes its inception, primarily, to 

 systematic studies which were begun years 

 ago, and which are still continued in order 

 tc form an intelligent and rational basis for 

 many of the advanced problems in this field. 



In medicine, too, the study of systematic 

 botany has played an important part. It 

 was the general practice in the early days 

 for physicians to be trained in botanical 

 lines, and a great deal of our most impor- 

 tant information has been brought out by 

 the work of these same physicians. In fact, 

 it has generally been considered necessary 

 for physicians to be pretty thoroughly post- 

 ed on botanical matters; hence the close 

 relationship of botany to the practice of 

 medicine has always been recognized. With 

 systematic botany as a basis, the study of 

 materia medica has advanced rapidly and 

 has formed an important item in the devel- 

 opment of our work. The differentiation 

 of pharmacy from medicine has also led to 

 further advancement in these lines, and has 

 done much to advance the value of the in- 

 vestigations. 



Probably in no other field of botanical 

 science has the applied Avork been of more 

 value to mankind than in bacteriology, sur- 

 gery and sanitation. The systematic study 

 of the causes of disease has led to most valu- 

 able results, and in nearly all of these inves- 

 tigations the inception of the work can be 

 traced to one or more lines of botanical 

 science. Such, in brief, have been some of 

 the advances in applied botany in this coun- 

 try, and with this somewhat hasty sketch in 

 mind, let us turn our attention to the future 

 and consider what opportunities are before 

 us, and along what lines our efforts should 

 be put forth in order to achieve the highest 

 and best results. 



Attention has already been called to the 

 importance and necessity of constantly 

 keeping in mind the fact that in the appli- 

 cation of science we cannot be too careful 

 as to the foundation of our work. In the 

 race for results we are too apt to lose sight 

 of this fact, and in the end we find, too 

 late, that our entire fabric has been built 

 of straw, and tumbles to earth at the first 

 gust of wind. It is necessary, therefore, in 

 looking to the future development of ap- 

 plied work in this country, that we should 

 turn our attention, not so much to the older 

 men who are already in the field, but to 

 the younger generation, who are still to 

 come up ; and the training they are get- 

 ting, or are to get, in the various institu- 

 tions of learning throughout the country. 

 It is too true- that many of our institutions 

 of learning have been slow to recognize ap- 

 plied science; and even now, with all the 

 demand for applied work, little or no 

 effort is being made to put this work on the 

 basis where it belongs. The training in 

 applied lines at this time is meeting with 

 much the same opposition that science 

 itself did when first introduced into our 

 colleges— especially science as taught by 

 laboratory methods, rather than science as 

 taught by handing clown from year to year 

 doubtful knowledge long stored in dusty 

 tomes. There was a time, and not so far 

 distant, either, when to be a student in a 

 science course in some of our institutions 

 required considerable moral stamina; but 

 all this is changed with respect to science; 

 yet there still lingers that inherent hostility 

 to all things practical, as is most strikingly 

 emphasized in institutions where applied 

 work, such as agriculture, engineering, etc., 

 is made a part of the regular course. With 

 the great increase of wealth in this country 

 and the commendable spirit being mani- 

 fested in the endowment and establishment 

 of institutions of learning, the fact must 



