170 Pathologist U. S. Department of Agriculture 



groups and have them done by July 1st, if you will take the Ascomycetes 

 with the imperfect forms and get them done by the same time. 



Spalding with the aid of his class already had commenced his 

 work on the book. He had urged that, unless a tempting offer from 

 the United States Department of Agriculture hove into sight, 

 Smith should return to the University of Michigan that winter, 

 work with the students on fungi, finish the book, obtain his degree 

 in June, and be prepared to accept a position as professor of 

 botany and horticulture for which he had been recommended by 

 President Angell and Dr. Spalding to Professor Scott of Rutgers 

 College. The university's botanical laboratory had undergone 

 some repairs, and a few improvements had been added. Spalding 

 had been bringing together a herbarium for mycology. Specimens 

 had been obtained from Smith and other botanists of the nation. 

 With Sanford's aid, drawings of species in Cystopus, Peronospora, 

 Puccinia, Ustilago, Ascomyces, Podosphaera, Uncinula, Sphaero- 

 theca, Fusicladium, Oidium, and other genera, had been made. 

 Materials had been photographed, notes taken on distribution. 

 Spalding valued his correspondence with Smith, since the latter 

 kept him abreast of the times by writing to him what diseases 

 were being given attention at Washington. " What you say about 

 the foot rot in Florida and the vine disease in California," said 

 Spalding on November 27, 1888, 



makes me ache to have some one ready to take it up and if Galloway is not 

 in too much of a hurry I have little doubt that in due time he can be 

 provided with a trained man from our laboratory. . . . One thing we can 

 (Jo — wonder if it will not be worth while — we can put together our pieces 

 of special study some time during the year and let Mr. Galloway have 

 them for the next annual (or bulletin). 



He made a specific offer: 



Towards the end of the year I can give each of the class a species to 

 investigate and report on, or we may, perhaps, if we do not find it too 

 much of an undertaking prepare a joint paper on the Pathological Changes 

 induced by Parasitic Fungi. This you know is what is coming "' bye and 

 bye." We have done enough of it here already to see a little of its im- 

 portance and what an immense amount of work it is. . . . Do you know 

 what a pest the tomato rot has been this year.? I have alcoholic material 

 and want to get to work at it. Is there a lot of material at the dep[art- 

 men]t, or has no one sent it in? Then there is the melon disease. A 

 student from Ohio brought me a lot of material and reported badly 



