Like M. Ikawa in Biochemistry, 

 concerned with algal populations on 

 the New Hampshire shoreline and their 

 relation to human health, A. L. Baker, 

 freshwater phycologist, investigates 

 microscopic algal and bacterial organ- 

 isms which foul New Hampshire lakes 

 and ponds in summer. He uses so- 

 phisticated equipment to gather a large 

 number of samples of the organisms, 

 and a computer to store and analyze 

 the data. He then determines the qual- 

 ity of the water and is able to recom- 

 mend whether, which kind, and when 

 corrective action is required to im- 

 prove the water quality for recreation 

 and other purposes. 



When A. E. Rich became Associ- 

 ate Dean of Resident Instruction in 

 1972 his position in Botany was taken 

 by R. O. Blanchard, a mycologist and 

 forest pathologist. One of Blanchard's 

 tasks has been to monitor the diseases 

 of trees in New Hampshire, determine 

 their seriousness and, when neces- 

 sary, advise on methods of treatment. 

 But investigating the causes of tree 

 diseases has been a major aspect of his 

 work. He has researched the mecha- 

 nism of biological control of decay 

 fimgi in red maples, studied harmful 

 air pollutants (oxidants) of white pine, 

 evaluated factors affecting canker for- 

 mation in American beech, and inves- 

 tigated the association between elec- 

 trical resistance and periodic growth 

 rate in balsam fir. He found that elec- 

 trical resistance was useful for early 

 detection of Dutch Elm Disease. Sci- 

 entists of the Northeast Forest Experi- 

 ment Station associated with 

 Blanchard include A. E. Shigo, L. O. 

 Safford, W. C. Shortle and H. W. Pottle. 

 In a publication entitled, "Diseases of 

 Forest and Shade Trees in New Hamp- 

 shire," Blanchard has provided a list 

 of common trees and woody shrubs 



and a summary of diseases and their 

 control. He became Associate Dean of 

 the college in 1982 following Rich's 

 retirement. 



W. E. MacHardy, appointed plant 

 pathologist in 1972, has worked on 

 fungal diseases of flowers, fruits and 

 vegetables. With others he established 

 a computerized procedure for retriev- 

 ing plant disease data for New Hamp- 

 shire utilizing a database management 

 system. He designed weather monitor- 

 ing instrumentation for field use to 

 improve control of plant diseases while 

 at the same time reducing the amount 

 of chemicals used through integrated 

 pest management. He also has devel- 

 oped simple, quick, non-computerized 

 techniques for determining apple scab 

 infection periods and fabricated an 

 inexpensive recording spore trap for 

 investigating patterns of spore dis- 

 charge by the apple scab fungus. He 

 then established the theoretical frame- 

 work and later a working model to 

 forecast potential spore discharge as a 

 basis for altering the rate and timing of 

 fungicide application in the commer- 

 cial orchard. 



T. C. Harrington, a mycologist, 

 succeeded Blanchard. He has studied 

 the distribution of rhabdocline and 

 Swiss needle casts, the two most im- 

 portant diseases of Douglas fir 

 Christmas trees in New Hampshire. 

 Most nursery stock in New Hampshire 

 is highly susceptible, but both dis- 

 eases may be controlled by fungicides. 

 Harrington has also studied red spruce- 

 balsam fir decline in the White Moun- 

 tains, a poorly defined disease of un- 

 knov^m etiology. Although acid depo- 

 sition may be the primary cause of the 

 decline in some instances, he has pro- 

 posed that mechanical damage to 

 crowns and roots from swaying in high 



67 



