1·‘11rrY-sEvENTu CONGRESS. sms. 1. cn. 985. 1902. 291 GENERAL EXPENSES, BUREAU or PLANT INDUSTRY; VEGETABLE $,ggj{j,l,gXP€;;§;b_ 1·ATHoLoG1oAL AND rHYs1oLoo1oAL INVESTIGATIONSZ Investigating the logical. etc., investinature of diseases injurious to fruits, fruit trees, grain, cotton, vege- gm°°s‘ table, and other useful plants; experiments in the treatment of the same; the study of plant physiology in relation to crop production and the improvement of crops by breeding and selection; to investigate the diseases affecting citrus fruits, pineapples, and truck ()1'OpS grown during the winter in the Southern States; to investigate canaigre and other tannin-bearing plants; to investigate and report upon the diseases affecting plants on the Pacific coast; to originate or introduce improved varieties of fruits and vegetables in cooperation with the section of seed and plant introduction; to study the relation of soil and climatic conditions to diseases of plants, particularly with reference to the California vine diseases and diseases of the sugar beet, in cooperation with the Bureau of Soils, and for other purposes connected with the discovery and practical application of improved methods of crop production; to continue the work of originating, by breeding and selection, in cooperation with the other divisions of the Department and the experiment stations, new varieties of oranges, lemons, and other tropical and subtropical fruits more resistant to cold and disease and of better quality; varieties of wheat and other cereals more resistant to rust and smut and better suited to the various sections of this country; varieties of cotton more resistant to disease and of longer and better staple, and varieties of pears and apples more resistant to blight and better adapted for export; to investigate the causes of decay in forest timber and timber used for construction purposes, and to devise means for preventing the decay of the same: to investigate the practical application in agriculture of the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by bacteria and other micro—organisms in soils and in the root tubercles of leguminous and other plants; to cultivate and distribute these nitrogen fixers and to determine the conditions most favorable to their development; to study and find methods for preventing the algal and other contaminations of water supplies; the employment of investigators, local and special a ents, clerks, assistants, and student scientific aids at an annual salary of four hundred and eighty dollars each, and other labor — required in conducting experiments in the city of Washington and elsewhere, and collating, digesting, reporting, and illustrating the results of such experiments; for gas an electric current; purchase of chemicals and apparatus required in the field and laboratory; necessary travelin expenses; the preparation of reports and illustrations; the rent am? repairs of a building, not to exceed three thousand dollars per annum; all necessary office fixtures and supplies, and for other expenses connected with the practical work of the investigations, one hundred and ten thousand dollars, of which sum five thousand dollars shall be immediately available. POMOLOGICAL 1NvEsr1cA·r1oNs: Investigating, collecting, and dissemi- Pomolcgicalinvesunating information relating to the fruit industry; the collection and “”°°“”‘ distribution of seeds, shrubs, trees, and specimens; and for collecting and modeling fruits, vegetables, and other plants, and furnishing duplicate models to the experiment stations of the several States, as far as found practicable; the employment of investigators, local and special agents, clerks, assistants, student scientific aids at an annual salary of four hundred and eighty dollars each, and other labor required in conducting ex riments in the city of Washington and elsewhere; and in collating, digesting, reporting, and illustrating the results of such experiments; for all necessary office fixtures and supplies and for traveling and other necessary expenses, to continue the investigations and experiments in the introduction of the culture of European table grapes and the study of the diseases that affect them. for the purpose of iscovering remedies therefor, this work to be done in cooperation
