Begin Page 1. Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin December 28, 1920 Published occasionally according to the stock of news and the available time of ye editors. Mrs. R.C. Williamson nee Maude Miller Miss Alma Steinmetz The University opened on September 23 with an enrollment of about 7000, too many students for Wisconsin, to be sure, but, since 8000 were expected, a large instructional force was provided, and by studied arrangement of class rooms, the congestion is not over acute. The graduate school alone numbers 525, and of this number 35 are in plant pathology a.k.a. botany. Each year the interrelation of these two nominal departments seem more intimate, and at the same time their relative importance on the campus seems increasing. This was strikingly shown by the recent figures issued by Dr. Slichter, the new Dean of the Graduate School,. to the effect that of that of the 53 Ph. D. degrees granted last year 10 were in these subjects, call them one or two as one may. The only group in the same c1ass was all phases of Economics, totaling 11 doctors. Anyhow, the desks in the graduate laboratory are closer then they have been since before the war, and in addition, the cereal laboratory is crowded. Referring t o our last newsletter, we find we have many changes to record in the list of students, but few in the instructional staff. J. C. Walker is in Chicago the first quarter, giving a course in plant pathology. In exchange, Dr. Crocker of the plant physiology department of Chicago will spend the second semester in our department. In order to hold up his hands, each of the senior members of the instructional staff has given one or two lectures there also (Drs. Jones, Johnson, Keitt, Vaughan, and Dickson). Dr. E. M.. Gilbert has taken charge of the laboratory work in the general course (101), with Mr. Montieth assisting. Our foreign representation is quite as large this year as last, although the personnel has changed, Mr. Teodoro, of the Philippines, alone remaining for a second year with us. Changes and additions to our last December list of graduate students and faculty and cereal appointments: Miss Bracher of London, England, is doing graduate work in this department this year. She holds the Rose Sedgwick Memorial Fellowship. which enables her to spend one year in graduate study in some American university. She will spend the greater part of this time End Page 1. Begin Page 2. at Wisconsin and the remainder at Columbia. Miss Brach holds the position of lecturer in biology at the University of London, and her research interests are mycological, dealing with Rhytisma. Miss Nevada S. Evans, who has been associated recently with Dr. Bolley of N. Dakota and formerly with Dr. Stakman of Minnesota, is continuing her graduate work. She is working on black point of wheat. W. H. Davis of Cedar Falls, Iowa, who took his M. S. at Wisconsin in 1916 and has been teaching agriculture at Iowa State Teachers College, is continuing his work for the doctorate. His special problem is on timothy smut. F. T. McFarland, professor of botany at the University of Kentucky, has been granted leave of absence in order to complete his graduate work; for the doctorate. He is working on the ergot problem. G. O. Ocfemia, formerly associated with Prof. O. Reinking in the University of the Philippines is continuing his graduate work at Wisconsin, working on rice disease. V. O. Olivier of Transvaal, So. Africa., is doing graduate work and assisting Dr. J. Johnson in tobacco investigations. A. J. Riker, graduate student, formerly instructor in Cincinnati University, is assisting Dr. Keitt on crown gall. W. G. Stover, professor of botany, Ohio University, is here on leave of absence in order to complete his work for the doctorate. His research problem deals with corn root rot. R. B. Streets, graduate student. Research problem, brown rot of plum. N. T. Thompson, graduate student. Research problem, bunt of wheat. R. W. Leukel has returned to continue his graduate work, which was interrupted in 1917 by military service, his special problem dealing with wheat nematode. Dr. Charlotte Elliott spent two months here this summer doing further field work on her bacterial blight of oats. Dr. W. H. Tisdale spent the fall here finishing up his rice disease problems, but he is leaving again in January to be in charge of the smut disease project, taking the position formerly held by Dr. Reed. Mr. and Mrs. C.G. Welles (M.S. June 1920) sailed December 10 for the University of the Philippines where he will be associated with Prof. Reinking. End Page 2. Begin Page 3. We hear quite frequently from Prof. Reinking. He expects to return to America, via Europe next June for a vacation and hopes to be able to continue his work for the Ph.D. degree here next fall. A recent letter from Dr. R. D. Rands, Buitenzorg, Java, indicates that he is very busy and happy in his work there and that Mrs. Rands and their two babies are also happy and well. He also is looking forward to a possible return to America next year. When he last wrote, he expected to spend three to six months on the west coast of Sumatra. studying diseases of cinnamon and other native crops. D. Atanasoff has been spending this last year in Berlin, taking some work in the University there and doing research work in the laboratory of Dr. Otto Appel. He is planning to return to the United States within a short time. E. E. Clayton is connected with the botany department at the University of Ohio and has charge especially of the extension work in plant pathology in the state. R. W. Goss is associated with Dr. Peltier in plant pathological research and teaching at the College of Agriculture, University of Nebraska. The departmental meetings, as Seminary and Journal Club, are largely attended. The Seminary group are studying the history of plant pathology with especial reference to work on bacterial pathogens and stressing the work of Pasteur and Erwin F. Smith. On Friday afternoon, October 29, our memorial to Eugene Roark was unveiled in the Seminarary Room. The ceremony was short and impressive, consisting of the unveiling and short addresses by Professor Jones, President Birge, and Dean Russell. The tablet is bronze and decorated only with the insignia of naval aviation and the inscription "In memory of Eugene Washburn Roark, 1894-1918, died in the service of his country. Erected by his friends". It is mounted on white marble and hangs between the windows of the Seminary Room. The departmental social activities of the past year started off with a big picnic on Picnic Point in June. The married men lost to the single men by a narrow margin in a thrilling baseball game. The Horticulture department joined us, making about 65 people, but there was an abundance of broiled steak and ice cream for all. A little later, Professor and Mrs. Jones moved into their new home, 146 Prospect Ave. , near the Olin and Turneaure homes with which some of you may be familiar. At any rate, it is one of the top notch houses on University Heights, a new brick house, with a big living room where the whole department can congregate for those evenings which we• all so much enjoy spending with our chief and Mrs. Jones. This time we rushed in for a house-warming almost before they were settled, and again found an excuse in Professor Jones' birthday to invade their home in Sunday evening, December 5th. This event was End Page 3. Begin Page 4. more dignified than the carnival of fun occasioned by an edition of the “Evening Pathogen" which was presented on a similar occasion last year. This publication contained literary gems both in verse and in prose, and its social news left no departmental gossip un-noised. It stirred Professor Jones up to such a pitch of frivolity that he made an address of note at the conclusion of which he made a stirring appeal to the young men of the department to cease loitering in the halls of ease afforded by the Bachelor Apartments and establish homes of their own where they might spend their leisure hours profitably in attending gardens and storm windows and such devices of civilization. Little thought he how seriously his advice would be taken, but one short year of concentrated effort has made many changes. Last spring and summer we were too busy getting married to find time for even a newsletter. As a result of these activities we have the following announcements to make. In June , E. E. Clayton married Hortencia Watkins and took her to his position as extension pathologist in Ohio. C. G. Welles married Doris Berger of Milwaukee. John Brann married Nina Blakefield of his home town, Bailey’s Harbor. They are living at 1218 West Dayton. In the fall a second epidemic broke out, and in August, John Charles Walker married Mrs . Edna D. Sherman of Dakota, who has just taken her master's degree in Home Economics here at Wisconsin, and ye chief editor became Mrs. R. C. Williamson. Mr. R. C. is an instructor in the physics department here. In September Ruth Tillotson married Norton Ames. They are living in Manitoba. The most encouraging part of it all is that the epidemic is not yet controlled, and new signs of the disease are constantly appearing in individuals hitherto considered immune. However, since we must not gossip, we have but one "announced" engagement to report, that of W. H. Tisdale to Miss Elizabeth Koch of Madison. From without comes the announcement of the marriage of E . S. Schultz. End Page 4.