358 Chief of a Laboratory of Plant Pathology 



Fish Hawk dredging, and have been out once with Swingle and Moore on 

 the Sagilta up the coast for lupins. The Fish Commission tanks here are 

 full of interesting things and new strange creatures are added every few 

 days. . . . 



Woods Hole was to Smith more than a place where scientific 

 research was pursued. He and Mrs. Smith enjoyed there some of 

 their happiest days, weeks, and months. In this region he was 

 inspired to write some of his best poetry and to investigate some 

 most difficult problems in science. Much of his best scientific 

 writing was done there. The Marine Biological Laboratory stood 

 for the highest ideals of scientific scholarship. Being of a national 

 character, its direction had sought to cooperate with all scientific 

 organizations, universities and colleges, and avoided " any one- 

 sided alliances that might alienate large numbers of scientific 

 men." With all scientific agenices interested in research in biology, 

 the laboratory was to work and with none was it to amalgamate. 



Situated on Cape Cod where one of the nation's first large scale 

 experiments in forest tree culture was pursued by J. S. Fay, 

 Woods Hole, when Smith first visited it, presented a picture 

 which contrasts interestingly with the scene of today — a region of 

 fashionable summer resorts, a town of many beautiful homes built 

 among hills, fronted by Buzzard's Bay, Vineyard Sound, and the 

 Atlantic Ocean, in full view of several beautiful islands, and on 

 the mainland scientific laboratories which resemble more the 

 buildings of a great university or research center of modern pro- 

 portions. On July 12, 1899, Smith described Woods Hole to 

 Galloway: 



The place is small and crowded (about 200 people here at the laboratories 

 and for pleasure) and hardly even a room to be had now. The one I vacate 

 is already engaged. Farther up the coast, I suppose there must be many 

 [cottages], there are so many sea coast summer resorts — Falmouth, Vine- 

 yard Haven, Cottage City, Sconset etc. 



Woods Hole is an old fishing village, inhabited by three classes: first, 

 the natives, a curious lot; second, the rich summer residents who own 

 extensive grounds and have built large fine houses facing the shores and 

 go about in yachts and steam launches, and are said to regard the rest of us 

 as intruders on their peace and quiet ; and, third, the college and university 

 people who come here for a brief period in the summer and who are known 

 locally as the " bug hunters." Much of the land is owned by a few rich 

 men, and although there are many good sites for inexpensive cottages the 

 building of such is discouraged. There are . . . very few bathing houses 



