KEPORT OF THE SOCIETY 57 



MILLARDET 



THE CREATOR OF APPLIED PHYTOPATHOLOGY 



Prof. Georges Maheux, Provincial Entomologist, Quebec. 



Close to the green-houses of the large botanical ga''den of Bordeaux, in the 

 shade of splendid foliation and beautiful trees, a monument of plain sobriety 

 and beautiful lines is erected. Vine branches loaded with grapes wind up the 

 while stela of white stones; a beautiful nymph, symbolyzing viticulture, offers 

 a bunch of grapes as homage to a bust of considerable size crowning the whole. 

 The visitor charmed, stops before this magnificent sight which results from the 

 perfect harmonization of the art of man with the art of nature. He approaches, 

 in search of precisions to learn from the inscriptions, the name of the hero in 

 whose memor}^, this imperishable memorial has been erected. 



It is the monument raised through the gratefulness of the French and 

 Foreign vine-growers, to the memory of Alexis Millardet and solemnly dedicated 

 on the loth of July, 1914, in the midst of a considerable concourse of officials, 

 learned men, vine-growers, a few days before the declaration of the Great War. 

 Verily, the erection of this monument was evident proof that the name and 

 works of Millardet are always vivid in the minds of vine-growers of all the uni- 

 verse; his memory is the object of special worship among the proprietors of 

 vine-yards of the southwest of France and of the Department of Grenoble. 

 In fact, INIillardet is considered as the saviour of French viticulture and it is as 

 such that his admirers wished to immortalize in p;tone and bronze his name 

 and features. 



Millardet is not unknown among us. Our ph3'topathologists are of one 

 common accord in giving him the name of the founder of experimental and 

 applied plni:opathology; and most of those who occupy themselves with the 

 problems attached to the protection of plants know that his name is closely 

 allied to the anticryptogamic preparation of almost universal use known under 

 the name of Bordeaux Mixture. Indeed, if Millardet was not the exclusive 

 inventor of this marvellous fungicide, he has the merit of having discovered its 

 properties, of having perfected it, of having determined the definite formula 

 and of having propagated its use in all the vineyards. A continued and severe 

 test of forty years has shown be3^ond all doubt the value of this discover}^ and 

 the merit of the discoverer. 



Born in the Jura, at Monyminey, the 13th of December, 1838, of a dis- 

 tinguished family, Millardet first initiated himself into scientific life at the 

 University of Pa^is where he studied medicine. His uncle also a physician, 

 was destining him a very alluring estate and clientele. In spite of this alluring 

 reality the young physician, for long drawn towards botany, decided to 

 abandon his profession and to give himself up entirel}^ to his favorite study. 



