Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Just now when the new Federal Farm
Board is letting out some 10000, 900
for the relief of various branches CT
agriculture. 1t seems an appropriate
| time to call attention that there are
men, "unsung," working along day
after day, unobtrusively. in the Gov
eminent service who by their individual
efforts have contributed just as substan-
tial economic relief to this great basic
industry. Let the farmers knew these
benefactors.
One Of them Is DR.. Royal Joslyn
| Haskell, born on an ancestral farm in
Massachusetts,. which has been lin" his
| family for upward of five generations.
While engaged in postgraduate studies
at Cornell University from 1919 to 1917,
DR.. Haskell developed a new method of
controlling oat smut which has since
been used generally throughout the
country, preventing losses that would
have amounted to hundreds of million
of dollars. Since then he has been en-
gagged in gathering and disseminating
to the farmers as complete information
| as possible regarding all plant diseases,
| with the best scientific advice, pains
takingly tested. regarding control Of
these plant pests.
After receiving his Phi. D. degree he
came to the Department of Agriculture
as q plant pathologist, and is now in
| charge of plant disease survey, in the
Bureau of Plant industry. This is a
separate unit for one OF the two main
projects of that ONCE, which are my
ology and disease survey.
Under DR.. HaSkell's administration
this disease survey conducts an tnfor-
| nation service regarding the health Of
plants in this country. 1t determines
what diseases are important, wh5re they
occur, how much damage they are
causing. what varieties are attacked,
and what is being done to combat these
diseases. In order to obtain this infor-
nation DR.. Haskell directs the investiga-
ton of corps of correspondents scat
tered throughout the country who are
called "collaborators," located in each
State with State chief. Question
naires are sent to these collaborators or
field sleuths, they make local studies,
and report regularly with the result
| that voluminous correspondence
comes to DR.. Haskell's office on the sub
ject Of diseases of plants.
These data are analysed by specialists,
who study over, make experiments Of
their own, summarize the findings
which are printed in an official publica-
tion-"the Plant Disease Reporter
which goes to the collaborators and
plant pathologists all over the country,
to be interpreted by them to the farm
ers in the local communities as the
best advice obtainable on the plant
pests that may be troubling the farmers
| and endangering their crops.
DIR. HaSkell's office also keeps in touch
| with agricultural workers and scientists
| in the various States, and keeps them
informed on what is going on all over
the country regarding occurrences of
| disease in plants and the latest scien-
tif1c determinations regarding control
of these diseases.
To illustrate what is being done--be-
cause wet weather, as q rule, is favor
able to plant disease-Dr. Haskell re-
Gently had a longtime study made in
connection with the records Of the
Weather Bureau and on these data had a
series of maps drawn graphically de-
plotting what had happened when it was
These maps have been very helpful to
men engaged in the disease survey
throughout the country.
Dr. Haskell also keeps q card cata-
logue of plant diseases of the United
States and of the world. All reports
are Systematically filed by crops, and by
diseases and the index on plant diseases
of the world has already reached large
proportions. 1t now comprises about
zoo, 900 4-by-6 inch reference cards ar
ranged alphabetically by crops and par
asites, and IS contained in 3S4 drawers.
1t Is estimated by DR.. Haskell that
about $4,000 new cards will be added
during the present year