18 



failed to improve. It is hard to tell whose fault this was, but it is 

 quite certain that a quick-tempered, arbitrary man like BEIJERINCK, 

 who never minced his words, must with his conscious intellectual 

 superiority have been very difficult to get on with. He also found the 

 students very trying, they often gave cause for complaints; one of 

 them was sent down at his request. 



Owing to the high standard of his publications, lectures, and 

 scientific reports BEIJERINCK was already held in high esteem. This 

 led a far-seeing industrialist J. C. VAN MARKEN, the director of the 

 "Nederlandsche Gist- en Spiritusfabriek" l ) at Delft, to invite BEIJE- 

 RINCK in the autumn on 1884 to accept the position of bacteriologist 

 at this factory. A salary of /4500. , which was quite high for that 

 time, was offered to BEIJERINCK, and besides he was also promised 

 a new 7 laboratory. VAN MARKEN left him until January 1st, 1885 to 

 decide. This attractive offer greatly embarrassed BEIJERINCK, who 

 always had difficulty in taking important decisions. His friends, HUGO 

 DE VRIES and VAN 'T HOFF, were called upon to give their advice. 

 When, in the beginning of December 1884 BEIJERINCK decided to 

 accept the new post, his admirers at Wageningen, particularly the 

 staff of the Agricultural School, made it even more difficult to him by 

 sending a petition to the government praying for him to be retained 

 at the School. Professor SALVERDA suggested a salary of / 3500.- 

 and a new laboratory in the garden of the school. Time was getting 

 on, the government made no move, and on December 31st BEIJE- 

 RINCK accepted the post at Delft. 



As the laboratory of the factory was not then finished, BEIJERINCK 

 went abroad in order to prepare for his new task. On the programme 

 were visits to the laboratories of DE BARY, KOCH and HANSEN. 



His first visit was to DE BARY at Strasburg, at whose laboratory a 

 more or less awkward incident took place 2 ). BEIJERINCK, whose 

 scientific enthusiasm and fondness for dispute knew no bounds, appears 

 to have pointed out errors with so much vehemence that DE BARY 

 asked him to keep his knowledge to himself. 



In later years BEIJERINCK used to say that in HANSEN'S Labora- 

 tory at Copenhagen he was fobbed off with trifles, a statement which 

 can hardly be considered to give a fair idea of his experiences. Since he 

 expected to learn even less from KOCH (!) he had given up the pro- 

 jected visit to Berlin 3 ). 



In April 1 885 BEIJERINCK paid a last visit to the Agricultural School, 

 receiving many marks of appreciation. In June he made a journey to 

 Basle with HUGO DE VRIES, and in September 1885 he entered upon 

 his functions at the yeast factory at Delft. 



') "Netherlands Yeast and Spirit Works". 



2 ) This incident was later reported to the author by Professor BEIJERINCK himself. 

 -') During his whole lifetime BEIJERINCK showed a rather pronounced dislike for 

 medical bacteriology. 



