LIFE AND WORK OF CHARLES EDWIN BESSEY 507 
College of Agriculture at Ames. The call was accepted and he began 
his work at Ames, in February, 1870. An interesting point of his- 
torical note is seen in the fact that he attended and took part in the 
first Farmers' Institute held in Iowa; this was during the winter of 
1 870-1 87 1. These were among the very first meetings of the kind 
ever held in any part of the United States. It also appears that he 
was the guiding spirit in the founding of the old (the first) Iowa 
Academy of Sciences. He was president of this organization in 
1875 and was re-elected regularly for several years. 
Bessey was elected to membership in the American Association for 
the Advancement of Science at the Dubuque, Iowa, meeting in 
August, 1872. This was the first occasion of his meeting with Dr. Asa 
Gray, who was then the retiring president of the Association. Here 
He also met Dr. How, Dr. Winchell, M. S. Bebb, and others who were 
to be some of his closest scientific friends and co-laborers for many 
years. The first fruits of this acquaintance with Gray were gathered 
during that winter of 1 872-1 873 when he spent the long vacation of 
three months at Harvard University studying under Professor Gray. 
Under the watchful eye and kindly direction of the great botanist he 
laid the foundations of his knowledge of systematic botany especially 
in its philosophical aspects. The genial physician led the young man 
beyond the threshold of a "life among species and phyla" which was 
probably Dr. Bessey's most constant scientific enjoyment. Bessey 
returned for another period of study at Harvard in the winter of 
1875-1876. 
In 1872 he received the degree of master of science from his alma 
mater and was promoted to a full professorship at Ames. In Novem- 
ber, 1873, he was offered the chair of botany, zoology, horticulture and 
pomology but this was refused. Later he was made professor of 
botany and zoology. 
Early in the year 1874, at the suggestion of Dr. Gray, President 
Gilman, of the University of California, wrote to Professor Bessey 
asking him to give his views in regard to certain problems relating 
to agricultural education then demanding solution. His reply, along 
with those from Louis Agassiz, Andrew D. White, Samuel W. Johnson 
and others, was printed in a bulletin issued in the spring of 1874 
by the University of California under the title: "Recent Information 
respecting Agricultural Education Elsewhere." This correspondence 
led to an invitation from President Gilman to Professor Bessey to go 
