Ri-SEARCH ON Plant Tumors 489 



Bureau of fisheries. In 1896 he had graduated (rum Cokimbia 

 llnivcrsity and obtained in 1900 liis master's degree from the 

 university and his degree t)f doctor of medicine frt)m the College 

 of Physicians and Surgeons there, also during the next three years 

 taking post-graduate study at the German universities of Strass- 

 buri; and Berlin. I'rom 1902 until accepting a position with the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, he had been an assistanc 

 in physiological chemistry and an instructor in biological chemistry 

 at Harvard University. Smith thought so well of him that he 

 helped to secure his appointment as Chief of the Bureau of 

 Chemistry succeeding to the place left vacant by the resignation 

 of Dr. Harvey W. Wiley. In an entry of his diary of January 

 10, 1920, Smith reveals: "' I first called the attention of Sec[retar]y 

 Ja[me]s Wilson to Alsbcrg as a suitable man to fill the place 

 made vacant by Dr. Wiley's resignation and my letter to Prcs[i- 

 dent] Taft by advice of the Scc[retar]y w^as what set the ball 

 rolling and led to his appointment. He has made good here." 

 In 1913, Bureau of Plant Industry bulletin 270, " Contributions 

 to the Study of Maize Deterioration. Biochemical and toxicological 

 investigations of Pe/ncii/ium puberuhnn and PeniciUiinn stoloni- 

 jerinn,'' also by Alsberg and Black, was issued. This was submitted 

 first to Dr. R. H. True, physiologist in charge. Dr. Galloway, 

 when he transmitted it to Secretary Wilson, called attention to the 

 discovery that one of the molds, Fenkillhim puberulum, had been 

 shown " to develop toxic substances in maize." The research was 

 believed to have demonstrated primarily that the two organisms 

 " have specific physiological properties," and that Smith performed 

 some fundamental work in the study is undoubted. Alsberg and 

 Black at page 11 of their bulletin said: " For this investigation the 

 genus Penicillium was chosen, because it is well systematized in 

 the recent monograph of Thom.^^ Five species inhabiting spoiled 

 maize in the United States were obtained from Dr. Thom and 

 cultivated separately by Dr. Erwin F. Smith. Without such help 

 this investigation could hardly have been undertaken." Further 

 it was said that from samples of deteriorated maize, Dr. Smith 

 " isolated two species of Penicillium. One of these species was 



*^ Charles Thom, Cultural studies of species of Penicillium, Bureau of Animal 

 Industry bulletin 118, U. S. Dep't of Agriculture, 1910. 



