172 Pathologist U. S. Department of Agriculture 



Spalding wanted Smith to remain with the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture. He was aware of the gains to be realized 

 there. Yet, he informed Smith of opportunities in the state agri- 

 cultural colleges and experiment stations. In December, 1888, 

 B. D. Halsted was chosen, considerably because Farlow had 

 recommended him, for the position at Rutgers College and the 

 New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station. This left a vacancy 

 open at Iowa Agricultural College, to which institution Halsted 

 had gone when a state experiment station had been established 

 at Ames under provisions of the Hatch Act. Spalding by letter of 

 January 11, 1889, told Smith: "Mr. Reighard spoke to me some 

 days ago about Dr. Halsted's place at Ames which it seems is 

 vacant. I thought you might like to try for it if there is nothing 

 definite yet at the Dep[artmen}t. If they do what is right for 

 you there, though, I hope you can stay and help bring up the work 

 as it ought to be." With the beginning of the second semester at 

 the University of Michigan, a place was open on the faculty of 

 Dr. Spalding's department. Promptly he offered it to Smith. He 

 could offer no more than a temporary appointment to " take charge 

 of two classes, the class of literary students corresponding," 

 Spalding told Smith, 



to the one you had last year, and the Junior pharmacy class (beginning the 

 last Monday in March) . The assistant will by this arrangement be obliged 

 to give instruction to two pretty large classes. All the work, however, can 

 be brought into the forenoons of the week, as it will not be expected that 

 any advanced students will receive instruction in that laboratory. This is, 

 from my point of view, a just and reasonable arrangement, and I intend 

 hereafter to have the elementary work in botany in both departments — 

 literary and pharmacy — done by the assistant, reserving for myself the 

 biological work and the special courses for advanced students. . . . You 

 are my first choice, and while there are a number who have either per- 

 sonally or through their friends signified their willingness to succeed to 

 Mrs. Stowell's position, you will have the preference. We can work with 

 mutual confidence and together do a good thing in building up the botani- 

 cal department. I should very much like to have your help. 



Smith was to be privileged to build up a " special course" such 

 as they might agree upon. But since the Board of Regents would 

 not meet before the time when Smith would begin, and since 

 President Angell likely would not take the responsibility of assur- 

 ing a permanent position, while the offer appealed as a "chance 

 of a lifetime to take a position in the University of Michigan," 



