BOYCE THOMPSON INSTITUTE FOR PLANT RE SEARCH, INC., of Yonkers, N.Y., was founded and endowed by Col. William Boyce Thompson of Yonkers. The institute was formally opened on Sept. 24, 1924. It is incorporated under the membership corporation law of the State of New York as a non profit sharing institution. It is a foundation for research on plants. It has laboratories, greenhouses and lands valued at $1,500,000, and an endowment of $8,500,000. The scientific staff numbers 3o with a total staff of 8o workers. The greenhouses and other grow ing chambers give accurate control of growth conditions for plants, including light (quality, daily duration and intensity), humidity, temperature and carbon dioxide concentration of the air. This apparatus is on sufficiently large scale to permit plants to be grown to maturity in large numbers.
The following departments have adequately equipped labora tories : physiology, pathology, morphology and anatomy, bio chemistry, microchemistry, physical chemistry and entomology. While the departments are organized on the basis of technique, the problems are generally attacked as projects focusing all technique on them necessary for their solution, even adding lines of tech nique for particular problems when needed. As the institute en larges, other departments of primary importance in solving plant problems, such as organic chemistry, physics and plant breeding, will be added. The institute has sufficient land available for field plots so that laboratory findings can be tested out on a field basis. It is also developing an arboretum of 35o acres. This gives ade quate opportunity for the study of problems on forest and orna mental plants, including propagation, diseases, insect pests, soil adaptation and hardiness.
The institute grants a number of fellowships of both graduate and post doctorate grade, giving temporary support to promising young investigators while they develop their researches as well as their research ability. These are open to both United States and foreign workers. It is also open to a limited number of Govern ment, State and other plant research workers who care to make use of the facilities of the laboratories and the advice of its staff. The research funds of the institute are considerably augmented by plant research projects supported at the institution by individuals and by public and industrial organizations.