590 Third European Journey 



Industry as a delegate to the centenary observance which honored 

 Joseph Leidy, whose " chief contributions," Smith believed, " were 

 in comparative anatomy, palaeontology (fossil vertebrates of the 

 Cretaceous era) and protozoology." He did not give an address 

 at this occasion. But, at many other times, he had been called 

 upon for oral as well as written disquisitions. His interests in 

 civic and literary matters brought forth as many requests as his 

 work in science. In 1916 he had been asked to prepare an "in 

 memoriam " tribute to Thomas J. Burrill,-* and in 1918 he wrote 

 an appreciative sketch of the unique and productive career as a 

 plant explorer of Frank N. Meyer. -^ Time and the years had given 

 to Smith many, many enjoyable friendships, and the opportunities 

 were now arriving for his co-workers and friends to honor him. 

 Perhaps the first of such recognitions was the annual dinner of 

 the Washington Botanical Society, held March 4, 1924, at the 

 Ebbitt House, when Dr. Smith, now seventy years of age, was 

 guest of honor. At this occasion, he chose to present a character 

 portrayal of himself, " Some thoughts on old age." ^^ Early in 

 1923 he had charted a work-plan for the rest of his life. " I have 

 been so interested in my work," he said,"' 



that the years have slipped away unheeded and now I observe by various 

 signs that I am growing old with not half of my work accomplished. It is 

 always the way, I suppose, with men who are absorbed in what they are 

 doing. I should like (1) to finish [translating the sonnets of Jose-Maria 

 de} Heredia,-^ (2) publish a new volume of sonnets, (3) write an auto- 

 biography, (4) do a book on a scientific man's religion, (5) complete the 

 unfinished volume of the Carnegie monograph. Alas, there is little time 

 left ! But I am not sad, only a little melancholy. 



A discovery of the following mid-summer caused him to revise 

 these plans. While working at pH determinations of crown gall 

 juice from sunflower, he noticed one day that " four of the sun- 

 flowers which were inoculated in the young flower head with 

 crowngall bacteria " almost a month before had " developed 

 abnormally, giving rise in the center of the heads to strop-shaped 



^* Jour. Bacteriology 1(3): 269-271, May 1916. 

 ^'Science 48(1240): 335-336, Oct. 4, 1918. 

 -^ ]our. Washir2gton Acad, of Sci 14(11): 231-238, 1924. 

 ^^ Diary, Feb. 1, 1923. 



28 



Work never completed, but many of the sonnets published in For Her Friends 

 and Mine, op. cit., 341 ff. 



