480 Second European Journey 



the department of botany of Michigan Agricultural College found 

 the work " excellent, thorough and basic." Among the other 

 Americans who wrote Smith, V. M. Spalding, now retired, living 

 at Loma Linde, California, and proud of his student, said: "' What 

 a satisfaction it must be to you to bring this great work to a con- 

 clusion and still have years — I trust — of fruitful investigation in 

 which at least some of the problems that you have met may be 

 settled. Your studies of cancer in plants for years past seem to 

 me of extreme interest and value, to mention one out of much 

 more." Smith planned to visit California the next summer. But 

 his hopes to renew acquaintance with his venerable professor were 

 not to be realized. The next year his researches in crown gall 

 required his presence in his laboratory, and on November 12, 

 1918, Dr. Spalding died. 



In 1913 David Franklin Houston had been appointed United 

 States Secretary of Agriculture. B. T. Galloway had been pro- 

 moted to Assistant Secretary, and W. A. Taylor had been made 

 chief of the Bureau of Plant hidustry. Secretary Wilson had 

 retired and, to honor him, a farewell reception at the United 

 States National Museum had been held on March 7, 1913. Dr. 

 Smith had delivered the farewell address, and presented duplicate 

 larger than life portrait bronze busts of the Secretary, one to him 

 and one to be placed in the library of the Department " to show 

 the coming generations what manner of man he was who wrought " 

 the great work of advancing agriculture on a nation-wide basis 

 during his administration. Smith had originated the idea of the 

 bust, persuaded the Secretary to sit for the sculptor whom Smith 

 picked, collected the funds from employees of the Department, 

 and in the course of his presentation, said: 



You have been with us as Secretary of Agriculture for sixteen years, a 

 longer period than any other man has ever served in a Cabinet position in 

 this country. Rarely in any country has a man been so honored. In the 

 sixteen years we have grown from less than twenty five hundred persons 

 occupied with problems for the betterment of agriculture to nearly fourteen 

 thousand workers. We then expended less than three million dollars per 

 annum on our work. The bill that has recently passed Congress directs us 

 to expend nearly eighteen millions. Sixteen years ago we had very little 

 influence at home and none abroad. To-day there is not a civilized country 

 in the world that does not speak with respect and envy of our Department 



