FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
25 
ological knowledge which has been ac¬ 
quired by American investigators. All 
of which things would be directly contrib¬ 
utory to a closer relationship between the 
United States and the other American 
countries. 
The step which led up to the organiza¬ 
tion of the Institute for Research in 
Tropical America was the appointment, 
on November 5, 1920, by the National 
Research Council, through its Division of 
Biology and Agriculture, of a “Commit¬ 
tee on Scientific Research in The Phil¬ 
ippines and Other Tropical Countries.” 
On November 19, 1920, this committee 
reported to the National Research Coun¬ 
cil that, as a result of its investigations, 
it had found a number of Philippine prob¬ 
lems demanding prompt solution, most 
of which vitally concern and are closely 
identified with important commercial 
ventures, the headquarters of which are 
in the United States. One step followed 
another in rapid succession and “The In¬ 
stitute for Research in Tropical Amer¬ 
ica” was formally organized on January 
15, 1921. The President of the institute 
is Dr. A. S. Hitchcock, personally known 
to many of you, and the Secretary-Treas¬ 
urer is Dr. G. R. Lyman of the Bureau 
of Plant Industry, United States Depart¬ 
ment of Agriculture. 
Now, what is this Institute? It is an 
institution for research in tropical Amer¬ 
ica and its field embraces biology in its 
broadest sense, including agriculture, 
horticulture, plant breeding, bacteriology, 
entomology, plant pathology, etc. It is 
being sponsored by and organized under 
the auspices of the National Research 
Council, a sufficient guarantee of its 
earnestness of purpose and efficiency of 
operation. 
By the way, some of you may not 
clearly recall what the National Research 
Council is. The Council was organized 
in 1916 to co-ordinate the research facil¬ 
ities of this country for work on war 
problems and in 1918, by executive order 
of the President of the United States, it 
was reorganized as a permanent body. 
Its essential purpose is the promotion of 
scientific research and of the. application 
and dissemination of scientific knowl¬ 
edge for the benefit of the national 
strength and well-being. It is virtually 
a Congress of the leading scientists and 
scientific institutions of the United States 
—a co-ordinating clearing house for sci¬ 
entific knowledge. Its administrative 
work is provided for by a gift of five 
million dollars made by the Carnegie 
Corporation and it has secured various 
gifts for the support of projects which 
it has sponsored, including a gift, for Re¬ 
search Fellowships, of five hundred thou¬ 
sand dollars from the Rockefeller Foun¬ 
dation. 
The membership of the Institute for 
Research in Tropical America is open to 
all Universities, Colleges, Museums, Sci¬ 
entific societies and even governments 
that are, concerned with investigations in 
tropical countries. How will it be fi¬ 
nanced? Partially with the funds of the 
institutions, both educational and re¬ 
search, that constitute its membership; 
partially by the federal support of pro¬ 
jects which the institute, undertakes and 
in which the government is interested; 
and by endowments, for, be it noted, the 
responsible character of the institute and 
