﻿William 
  Gilson 
  Farlow. 
  91 
  

  

  gestive. 
  While 
  working 
  under 
  De 
  Bary, 
  he 
  was 
  not 
  only 
  

   able 
  to 
  acquire 
  a 
  knowledge 
  of 
  this 
  master's 
  methods 
  of 
  

   teaching 
  and 
  investigation, 
  and 
  to 
  be 
  impressed 
  with 
  his 
  

   ideas 
  of 
  care 
  and 
  exactness, 
  but 
  had 
  an 
  opportunity 
  to 
  

   fill 
  the 
  most 
  serious 
  lacuna 
  in 
  his 
  botanical 
  education 
  by 
  

   acquiring 
  a 
  good 
  knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  Fungi, 
  on 
  which 
  in 
  

   later 
  years 
  he 
  became 
  the 
  leading 
  authority 
  in 
  America. 
  

  

  Of 
  all 
  the 
  friendships 
  which 
  resulted 
  from 
  this 
  most 
  

   important 
  period 
  of 
  his 
  life, 
  that 
  with 
  Bornet 
  seems 
  to 
  

   have 
  been 
  the 
  closest 
  ; 
  and 
  was 
  cherished, 
  both 
  by 
  per- 
  

   sonal 
  visits 
  and 
  uninterrupted 
  correspondence, 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  

   time 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  's 
  death 
  in 
  1911. 
  

  

  Before 
  completing 
  his 
  studies, 
  Dr. 
  Farlow 
  visited 
  Paris 
  

   several 
  times, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  various 
  German 
  cities 
  ; 
  his 
  itin- 
  

   erary 
  including, 
  also, 
  Switzerland, 
  Italy 
  and 
  England; 
  

   and 
  he 
  was 
  thus 
  able 
  to 
  meet 
  many 
  distinguished 
  botanists 
  

   and 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  more 
  important 
  Herbaria. 
  When 
  he 
  

   returned 
  to 
  America 
  in 
  the 
  summer 
  of 
  1874, 
  he 
  was 
  by 
  far 
  

   the 
  best 
  equipped 
  Cryptogamic 
  botanist 
  in 
  this 
  country, 
  

   and 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  person 
  who 
  was 
  competent 
  not 
  only 
  

   to 
  teach 
  something 
  beyond 
  the 
  rudiments 
  of 
  his 
  subject, 
  

   but 
  to 
  do 
  original 
  work, 
  and 
  to 
  initiate 
  it 
  in 
  others. 
  

  

  Immediately 
  after 
  his 
  return, 
  he 
  received 
  an 
  appoint- 
  

   ment 
  as 
  Assistant 
  Professor 
  of 
  Botany 
  in 
  Harvard, 
  the 
  

   first 
  special 
  provision 
  made 
  in 
  this 
  country 
  for 
  instruction 
  

   in 
  Cryptogamic 
  Botany. 
  The 
  earlier 
  years 
  of 
  his 
  service 
  

   in 
  the 
  University 
  were 
  passed 
  at 
  the 
  Bussey 
  Institution, 
  

   where 
  he 
  taught 
  special 
  students 
  primarily 
  interested 
  in 
  

   the 
  economic 
  aspects 
  of 
  his 
  subject 
  ; 
  although 
  he 
  also 
  gave 
  

   a 
  certain 
  amount 
  of 
  regular 
  instruction 
  in 
  Cryptogamic 
  

   Botany 
  at 
  Cambridge, 
  and 
  taught 
  for 
  several 
  years 
  in 
  the 
  

   Summer 
  School. 
  His 
  work 
  and 
  publications 
  on 
  various 
  

   important 
  fungous 
  diseases 
  of 
  plants, 
  while 
  he 
  was 
  sta- 
  

   tioned 
  at 
  the 
  Bussey, 
  may 
  be 
  truly 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  laid 
  the 
  

   foundations 
  of 
  American 
  Phytopathology; 
  a 
  branch 
  of 
  

   botany 
  in 
  the 
  development 
  and 
  practical 
  applications 
  of 
  

   which 
  this 
  country 
  has 
  outstripped 
  all 
  others. 
  

  

  Conditions 
  at 
  the 
  Bussey 
  were, 
  however, 
  not 
  at 
  all 
  to 
  

   his 
  liking, 
  and 
  he 
  found 
  his 
  work 
  hampered 
  and 
  interfered 
  

   with 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  that 
  the 
  situation 
  finally 
  became 
  

   quite 
  intolerable. 
  It 
  was 
  thus 
  a 
  great 
  relief 
  to 
  him 
  when, 
  

   in 
  1879, 
  he 
  was 
  transferred 
  to 
  Cambridge, 
  and 
  appointed 
  

   Professor 
  of 
  Cryptogamic 
  Botany; 
  and 
  found 
  himself 
  

   free 
  to 
  carry 
  out 
  his 
  own 
  plans 
  and 
  ideas 
  without 
  inter- 
  

  

  