22 



time we contemplate with satisfaction the extent and character 

 of the contributions made to botanical science during his life- 

 time. 



Whereas, in his personal life, Dr. Rydberg's attitude and 

 conduct in all matters pertaining to political, social, and re- 

 ligious questions was determined by a fine loyalty to conscience, 

 we mourn the loss of his personal influence in the community 

 in which he lived. 



RESOLVED, that we extend our deepest sympathy to the 



members of his family in their loss of so devoted a husband and 



father. 



E. D. Merrill 



H. H. Rusby 



J. K. Small 



Dr. Elmer D. Merrill, Director-in-Chief of The New York 

 Botanical Garden gave an interesting talk on "Crops and 

 Civilizations." 



The thesis developed was that there is a remarkable correla- 

 tion between the centers of origin of ancient civilizations and 

 the centers of origin of domesticated animals and cultivated 

 plants, not fully appreciated by many individuals who theorize 

 on the origins of ancient American civilizations, and who in- 

 sist that the latter were derived from the Old World. The fact 

 was emphasized that every important basic food plant was al- 

 ready in cultivation, and every domesticated animal was al- 

 ready in domestication at the dawn of recorded history; and 

 that the dawn of recorded history long antedates any very high 

 type of civilization. While modern man has greatly improved 

 both his cultivated plants and domesticated animals by breed- 

 ing in reference to quality, yield, disease resistance, etc. he has 

 done this solely on the basis of the species brought in from the 

 wild and adapted to domestication by his very remote, uncul- 

 tured ancestors. Outside of the ornamental plants, modern man 

 has domesticated very few economic species chiefly those pro- 

 ducing rubber, fibers, and medicines, such as Hevea rubber, 

 Manila hemp, and cinchona; he has greatly extended the cul- 

 ture of others such as coffee, tea, cacao, to meet the demands of 

 modern commerce. He has not, however, added a single species 

 to the list of cultivated basic food plants. 



Data were presented from the fields of systematic botany, 



