Or Tin; SciENCU oi- Plant Bacthriology 289 



Spalding also criticised Brcfcld's culture nictliDds as *' awfully 

 crude in the lij^ht of modern methods." Contrariwise, Swingle at 

 Bonn on December 26, 1893, revealed to Smith that " Strasburger 

 wears well — he is the most inspiring man I have ever seen. He 

 doesn't waste his time on methods or material— all he cares about 

 are results." 



Spalding returned to the Botanical Laboratory of the University 

 of Michig'an and by January 1896 Smith was gratified to learn 

 that the department was functioning "' on a solid foundation." 

 He contemplated at this time'" associating himself with some 

 university to give as much of his time as possible to develop 

 research work and study in bacterial diseases of plants. He would 

 like to have gone to Cornell University since there his two close 

 friends, Liberty Hyde Bailey and Veranus A. Moore, were located, 

 the former in plant work and agriculture, and the latter still 

 studying diseases of animals as a member of the faculty of the 

 New York State College of Veterinary Science. Formal negotia- 

 tions were never commenced, although Smith consulted both 

 Bailey and Moore, and both men wanted Smith at Cornell. 

 Bailey was still professor of horticulture but facilities of his 

 department were not sufikient, especially in view of the fact that 

 the type of work which Smith had in mind w^as regarded there 

 as botanical, not horticultural. Not yet had the New York State 

 College of Agriculture been founded. It is not likely that Smith 

 turned to any other university, although in January, Spalding had 

 volunteered to say that with about one hundred literary students 

 and twenty-five to forty pharmacy students his department was 

 building up its work in anatomy, physiology, and the laboratory 

 side of the science. The laboratory was better equipped and the 

 teaching force was ample. Newcombe's excellent work in his- 

 tology and physiology was attracting advanced students. They 

 were " prepared to do good work in histology, physiology, mor- 

 phology of at least certain groups of cryptogams." Funds were 

 not sufficient. Li fact, Spalding was financing some items of 

 expense. An offensive was on with Professor Reighard to secure 

 a new building. Additions were being made to the herbarium. 

 Smith evidently had urged Spalding to employ Charles F. Wheeler. 

 Smith's and Wheeler's friendship had never wavered, and consis- 



" Letters, Smith to Bailey and to Moore, and vice versa, December 1896. 



