LOUIS TRABUT, BOTANIST 

 AND PLANT BREEDER 



Thomas H. Kearxhv 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 



A FIELD OF SISAL AT ROUIBA ALGERIA 



Figure 3. Sisal (Agave Sisalana), is grown on a large scale in Yucatan and furnishes the 

 fiber from which binder twine is made. In the endeavor to develop a hardy race adapted to 

 Algerian conditions, Dr. Trabut has hybridized Sisal with other species of Agave. Photograph 

 by C. S. Scofield. 



THE second award of the Frank 

 Meyer Memorial Medal for dis- 

 tinguished service in Plant Intro- 

 duction was made to Dr. Louis Trabut, 

 Government Botanist of Algeria. This 

 award by the Council of the American 

 Genetic Association was in recognition 

 not only of the inestimable value to 

 his own country of Dr. Trabut's 

 work in plant introduction and plant 

 breeding, but of his very substantial 

 contributions to agriculture in the 

 United States, for with his co-operation 

 many promising varieties of field crops, 

 fruit trees and ornamentals have been 

 introduced into this country. Not 

 the least of his services has been the 

 very effectual aid rendered to numer- 

 ous agents of the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture who have visted the 

 French North African colonies in 

 the interest of plant introduction. 



These men cherish the recollection of 

 Trabut's unfailing courtesy, of his 

 readiness to facilitate their researches 

 and of his generosity in sharing with 

 them his profound and varied knowl- 

 edge of the native flora and cultivated 

 plants of that most interesting region. 



EARLY BOTANICAL ACTIVITIES 



Louis Trabut was born in 1853 at 

 Chambery in the beautiful mountain 

 district of southeastern France. Dur- 

 ing his period of military service he was 

 stationed in Algeria and found the 

 country so much to his liking that 

 after leaving the army he took up his 

 residence in the colony which he has 

 served so devotedly ever since. During 

 the early years of his residence in 

 Algeria he practiced medicine and has 

 long held the professorship of botany 

 in the School of Medicine of the 



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