Placed on a Nation-widi- Basis 181 



land-grant colleges where agricultural science was taught. In 1888 

 Arthur, America's fust statit^n botanist, went to Purdue University 

 to accept a, and prt)hably the first, professorship of vegetable 

 physiology and pathology in an American university, limmet Stull 

 Goff, the Geneva station's oflicial horticulturist, transferred to the 

 University of Wisconsin. 



Golf in Wisconsin and L. R. Taft in Michigan made important 

 studies for the Department in, among other matters, fungicidal 

 treatment for apple scab [Fusicladiiim dendriticum, Fckl).^ F. S. 

 Earle, a Department agent located at Ocean Springs, Mississippi, 

 investigated treatrpents for blackberry rust, plum and peach rust, 

 strawberry leaf-blight, and grape powdery mildew. The work of 

 other agents was reported by Galloway in 1889. Elaborate space 

 was given to a first report on the work of Newton B. Pierce at 

 Santa Ana California, on the vine disease^ which was destroying 

 vineyards and beginning seriously to affect the raisin industry of 

 the state. 



In May 1889 he had started his investigations, mapping the 

 disease's distribution and studying many environmental factors of 

 climate and soil: effect of pruning, irrigation, drainage, atmos- 

 pheric humidity, shading, land elevation, and other circumstances. 

 In trying to determine whether the malady is communicable, he 

 gave special attention to the point of temperature and the disease's 

 virulence, and to the malady's similarity to the Italian disease, 

 Mai nero. Scribner and Viala had arrived at no definite conclu- 

 sions as to its cause, and, by December 6, Pierce had "carefully 

 considered " most of the " non-parasitic agencies " which might be 

 responsible. He wrote Galloway: ° 



When considering the disease as due to parasitic or pathogenic organ- 

 isms, three lines of investigation have been pursued, viz: Entomological, 

 mycological, and bacteriological — the last as distinct from mycological work 

 mainly in the method of treatment. The work in these branches of the 

 investigation is in no sense matured. It should be followed by much careful 

 laboratory work. 



During the late summer of 1889 Director W. A. Henry of the 

 Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, while visiting in Cali- 

 fornia, was requested by Galloway to call on Pierce and inform 



■^ Rep't of Sect, of Veg. Path., op. cit., 405-412. 



« Idem, 423-429. ' Idem, AlG. 



