334 Chief of a Laboratory of Plant Pathology 



began to study in his laboratory no later than February 7, 1899, 

 and remained there at least through June 12. Until the first week 

 in March he worked mainly on preparing culture media. He then 

 began a research, evidently his own choice, on the bacterial soft 

 rot of vegetables. On March 9 he began cutting cylinders from 

 roots of turnips, rutabaga, carrots, sweet potato, beet, radishes, 

 later also asparagus and onion. Each material, each staining, addi- 

 tion of materials, filtration, transfer, steaming, testing with litmus 

 and other tests, each result was described with the care and pre- 

 cision which characterized Smith's work. In one or another of the 

 laboratories of the Division, at informal luncheons, and seminar 

 meetings, members of the Division and guests discussed problems 

 of plant physiology and pathology. Dr. Woods has revealed that 

 the " discussions were chiefly along bacteriological and physi- 

 ological lines, and Jones was one of the leading spirits. He was 

 looked upon by the Department as a prize visitor. He brought to 

 the group the university point of view. Though he came for 

 further bacteriological training and experience as well as research, 

 he gave fully as much as he got. We were proud to have him 

 with us." 



Out of these preliminary investigations grew " Jones' classical 

 papers describing Bacillus carotovorus and showing the mechanism 

 of its incitation of rotting by production of the enzyme, pectinase, 

 which dissolves the middle lamellae of the cell walls of the host 

 plant." 



Dr. Smith's " Record Book of Culture Media " further shows 

 that by September 21, 1899, William A. Orton, who had graduated 

 in science two years before at the University of Vermont and while 

 earning his degree master of science served as Jones's assistant, 

 was in Smith's laboratory. September 21, the entry which appears 

 to have been written by him was entitled, " Nutrient Agar "; Sep- 

 tember 25, " Beef Bouillon "; October 2, again, " Beef Bouillon "; 

 evidently, however, he had been employed for a purpose other 

 than laboratory research. Since 1895, when Smith at Charleston, 

 South Carolina, had observed cotton seed selection practiced by 

 plantation owners to prevent crop deterioration, he had visual- 

 ized this as bound up with possible remedial measures to combat 

 fusarium-caused diseases. He, in his address, " The fungous infes- 



*Keitt and Rand, op. cit., 5. 



