FERTILE LANDS OF FRIENDSHIP


Mowry reported, especially with regard to experiments and their
design which permitted evaluation of the comparative effectiveness
and worth of different sources of major and secondary elements.
Wander also outlined paralleling leaf or foliage analysis, made some
suggestions in respect to soils investigations, and, with G. M. Volk,
soils chemist, helped plan the equipping of a soils laboratory to be
erected on the campus of the University of Costa Rica.
 Volk and Wander arrived at an opportune time to lend valuable
help in the interior planning of the modernly designed laboratory.
It was Volk's role to spearhead its development. Although much
had been accomplished in previous laboratory investigations, be-
cause of the totally inadequate MAI-STICA laboratory facilities and
the lack of experience in some of the needed lines of investigation,
laboratory investigations had been making slow progress.
 After operations were transferred to the new laboratory made
possible by STICA, Volk's efforts were directed toward assisting
in the initiation and conduct of soils and other laboratory investi-
gations which, in a great measure, were tied into field fertility ex-
periments in agronomy and horticulture. His major contribution
was the introduction of laboratory techniques and methods and the
training of laboratory personnel to conduct fertility investigations.
 Less than a year after Volk's departure, A. E. Kretschmer, Jr.,
went to Costa Rica to continue and extend the laboratory advisory
work started by Volk. Throughout his stay numerous laboratory
experiments progressed, mostly in connection with coffee nutrition
and fertilization. These experiments clearly showed patterns of
deficiency symptoms of elements as they appeared in coffee plants;
they helped establish feasible fertilizer recommendations and ini-
tiated methods of soil and plant analyses that aid in predicting the
fertilizer needs of plants. Many Costa Ricans were deeply impressed
by the work accomplished by the laboratory personnel, and a series
of publications have presented laboratory findings to the public.
 Most Contract assignments were complementary to others. Two,
however, were rather distinct in that they dealt with virus diseases
of plants and the Mediterranean fruit fly.
 Several important commercial crops of Costa Rica are attacked
by virus diseases. Little was known locally about them in 1956