﻿COOK— ORNAMENTAL PLANTS 



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problems of the greenhouses are comparatively simple, but require 

 the service of trained men to bring about their solution. The 

 difficulties in this work are also increased by the fact that many of 

 the greenhouses are large instead of being properly partitioned into 

 smaller apartments, and that numerous varieties of plants are kept 

 in single large apartments. It will be readily seen that many of 

 these problems merge into the problems involved in the growing 

 of winter vegetables under glass. 



There is a prevailing belief in many places that plant pathology 

 must be confined to the agricultural colleges and experiment sta- 

 tions. But here is a line of investigation which can be carried on 

 to advantage by other institutions, many of which are much better 

 prepared to do the work than are the agricultural colleges and 

 experiment stations. Many of our large universities are located 

 in or near large cities and can get in close contact with ornamental 

 plant industry; they can choose their own lines of work instead of 

 such lines as may be dictated to them by the constituency of the 

 agricultural colleges and experiment stations; they are frequently 

 provided with far better mycological collections than are found in 

 the above-named institutions; they have good corps of workers in 

 taxonomy, morphology, and physiology, and are well prepared to 

 investigate the various phases of the problems involved. If these 

 institutions feel the necessity of giving a comprehensive course in 

 plant pathology, they will find an abundance of material in the 

 orchards and truck farms of the vicinity and in the local fruit and 

 vegetable markets for every phase of work except the treatment of 

 diseases. There is still another phase of the work which must 

 prove very interesting and profitable to the departments of bot- 

 any in our large universities, and that is the study of the fungi 

 which are brought in on tropical plants and which persist un- 

 known to many of our northern botanists. 



