84 HISTORY OF PHYTOPATHOLOGY 



phaneogamic botanist and a mycologist of renown. His 

 interest in mycology dates from August 31, 1860, the 

 date of his first collection of fungi. In 1860 he published 

 the first edition of his Flora of Denmark (including only 

 flowering plants), which has already gone through ten 

 editions, and is to Danish botanists what Gray's Manual 

 is to Americans. In 1869 he published a second volume 

 of this flora dealing with the Cryptogames (Ravn, 1909 : 

 47-55). 



His interest in phytopathology as such dates from 1870. 

 The works of Kiihn, de Bary, and Tulasne were the 

 sources of his inspiration and teachings, while the wealth 

 of his knowledge and experience with the flowering 

 plants and fungi made these teachings more fruitful 

 than usual. His first publications on the diseases of 

 cultivated plants began to appear in 1870-71. Becom- 

 ing especially interested in diseases of trees, he became 

 an intimate correspondent and contemporary worker 

 with Robert Hartig. His greatest contributions are, 

 according to Ravn (1909 :49), in the field of forest 

 pathology. 



During the decade 1870 to 1880 Rostrup's phyto- 

 pathologic work developed and attracted such general 

 attention throughout Denmark, especially among far- 

 mers, that in 1883 he was called to the Agricultural 

 College as instructor in plant pathology and chief con- 

 sulting plant pathologist for the national government. 

 In 1889 he was made lecturer, and finally in 1902 pro- 

 fessor, at the age of seventy-two. He died January 16, 

 1907, at the age of seventy-six. Probably no one man 

 has so completely dominated by his life and works the 

 botanical and agricultural thought of an entire country. 



