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William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943) : Canadian Pioneer Plant Pathologist-Mycologist R.H

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William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943) : Canadian Pioneer Plant Pathologist-Mycologist R.H Document generated on 10/02/2021 10:45 a.m. Phytoprotection William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943) : Canadian pioneer plant pathologist-mycologist R.H. Estey Volume 73, Number 2, 1992 Article abstract William P. Fraser, the first Canadian-born plant pathologist-mycologist to be URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/706019ar internationally recognized as such, began as an amateur collector of fungi, DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/706019ar with emphasis on the plant rusts, while teaching school in his home province, Nova Scotia. He then became a widely acclaimed authority on the rusts and a See table of contents professional plant pathologist-mycologist. He taught plant pathology and mycology, first at McGill University and then, after an interval as head of the first plant pathology laboratory in Western Canada, at the University of Publisher(s) Saskatchewan. Fraser was a Canadian pioneer in research on physiological races of wheat rust; in the culture of heteroecious rust fungi, in forest Société de protection des plantes du Québec (SPPQ)l pathology, and in the study of root and smut diseases of grasses in Western Canada. ISSN 0031-9511 (print) 1710-1603 (digital) Explore this journal Cite this article Estey, R. (1992). William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943) : Canadian pioneer plant pathologist-mycologist. Phytoprotection, 73(2), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.7202/706019ar La société de protection des plantes du Québec, 1992 This document is protected by copyright law. Use of the services of Érudit (including reproduction) is subject to its terms and conditions, which can be viewed online. https://apropos.erudit.org/en/users/policy-on-use/ This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943): Canadian pioneer plant pathologist-mycologist Ralph H. Estey1 Received 1992-01-29; acceptée! 1992-07-29 William P. Fraser, the first Canadian-born plant pathologist-mycologist to be internationally recognized as such, began as an amateur collector of fungi, with emphasis on the plant rusts, while teaching school in his home province, Nova Scotia. He then became a widely acclaimed authority on the rusts and a professional plant pathologist-mycologist. He taught plant pathology and my- cology, first at McGill University and then, after an interval as head of the first plant pathology laboratory in Western Canada, at the University of Saskat- chewan. Fraser was a Canadian pioneer in research on physiological races of wheat rust; in the culture of heteroecious rust fungi, in forest pathology, and in the study of root and smut diseases of grasses in Western Canada. Estey, R. H. 1992. William Pollock Fraser (1867-1943): Canadian pioneer plant pathologist-mycologist. PHYTOPROTECTION 73: 53-59. William P. Fraser est le premier phytopathologiste-mycologue originaire du Canada à être reconnu internationalement. Alors qu'il enseignait dans sa province natale, la Nouvelle-Ecosse, Fraser débuta sa carrière à titre d'amateur en collectionnant les champignons et particulièrement ceux responsables des rouilles des plantes. Il devint un spécialiste renommé des rouilles et un phyto­ pathologiste-mycologue professionnel. Il enseigna d'abord la mycologie et la phytopathologie, à l'Université McGill puis à l'Université de la Saskatchewan, après avoir été pour un temps chef du premier laboratoire de phytopathologie de l'Ouest canadien. Fraser fut un chercheur pionnier canadien dans la recher­ che sur les races physiologiques de la rouille du blé, sur la culture des rouilles hétéroïques, en pathologie forestière ainsi que dans l'étude des maladies des racines et du charbon des graminées dans l'ouest du Canada. The first Canadian-born plant pathologist Early éducation to be internationally acclaimed as such William got his first formai éducation in was William Pollock Fraser, a native of the local school but because both of his French River (Merigomish), Pictou Coun- brothers died of scarlet fever in 1887 the ty, Nova Scotia, where he was born on a major burden of running the family farm farm in 1867; one of four children of soon became his responsibility. As a Alexander and Annabel (Pollock) Fraser. conséquence of this, it was not until his AlexanderFraserdiedinJuly1870,leaving twenty-first year, when his mother sold his wife with three small boys and a girl. the farm, that Fraser was able to attend William, the middle son, was only three the New Glasgow High School and, later, years old. the Pictou Academy, from which he grad- uated in 1896. Histransferto the Academy 1. Department of Plant Science, Macdonald was fortuitous because it was there that Campus of McGill University, Sainte-Anne- he became interested in fungi, plant dis­ de-Bellevue, Québec, Canada H9X 3V9. eases and outdoor studies in gênerai. It 53 position in the Pictou Academy, he began collecting fungi in the surrounding ré­ gion. Some of those fungi, collected in 1906, were sent to Alexander H. MacKay, who was then Nova Scotia's Superinten- dent of Education, for inclusion in his supplemental list of Nova Scotia fungi (MacKay 1908). When Fraser took his students on field trips he tended to focus their collecting efforts on fungi, and plants infected with fungi. Forawhilethey searched mainly for plants infected with powdery mildews. Seven of his students wrote brief reports on their collections which, together with a paper on the Erysi- phaceae by Fraser, were published in the first Bulletin of the Pictou Academy of Science Association, in 1909. Incidental- ly, one of those seven students was Fra- ser's nephew, John Craigie (1887-1989), the man who, in 1927, was widely ac- claimed for his discovery of the function of the pycnia of the rust fungi (Craigie 1927). William P. Fraser In the meantime officiais at Dalhousie had become traditi onal for the science University had become so impressed by teachers there to take students on field the accomplishments of this young man trips, after Alexander H. MacKay (1848- thattheyawardedhimaB.A. degree on 25 1929), a well-known amateur mycologist, April 1907. The University senate minute had done so many times during his prin- book for 24 April includes a copy of the cipalship of 16 years. convocation program which shows that Fraser was the only one in a spécial ca- Following hisgraduation,young Fraser tegory: «Bachelor of Arts. Ad eundem worked for a few months and then attend- gradum William Pollok Fraser, B.A. ed the Provincial Normal School in Truro, (Cornell) 1907.» Thus, his degree was an which at that time included courses in honorary one, granted for work that had agriculture. He thus obtained a teacher's been largely done elsewhere. The Uni­ license and an agricultural diploma in one versity records, and Fraser's marriage year. Because he had to finance his own certificate, spell his middle name as Pol­ éducation heagain hadtoworkforawhile lok, ratherthan Pollock. before enrolling in Dalhousie University in 1899. After two years he ran short of It wasn't long before Fraser began to funds and left the University to become concentrate on the rust fungi, some of Principal of the Westville High School. In which he sent to Dr. J.C. Arthur, an inter- 1903 he returned to the Pictou Academy nationally known authority of the rust aslnstructorin Natural Science. Two years fungi at Purdue University, to hâve his later he obtained leave to attend Cornell diagnosesconfirmed. For example, when University where he earned a B.A. degree Fraserfound the aecial stage of blueberry in one year. During that year his enthu- rust on balsam fir [Abies balsamea (L.) siasm for mycology and plant pathology Mill.], in July of 1909, he sent it to Arthur were again stimulated; this time by Pro- who publicized the fact that this was the fessor G.F. Atkinson, with whom he went first such collection in North America on numerous mycological and plant dis- (Arthur 1910). That correspondence with ease forays (Vanterpool 1944). Arthur, and their exchange of spécimens, continued for many years. Professional life in Nova Scotia Fraser was a very modest, self effacing When Fraser returned to his teaching man, with a slight inferiority complex. 54 ESTEY: WILLIAM P. FRASER Having his identification of rusts con- accepted the position and went to Mac­ firmed by Arthur was a stimulus, and a donald Collège in January 1912. He did spur to the work that led to his becoming thisknowingthat Miss Alice Adèle MacRae a renowned authority on the plant rusts. would become his bride and join him Arthur became somewhat of a rôle model there later in the year. They were married forFraserwhofromthattimeonwardwas on 18 July 1912, in Durham, Nova Scotia, much more of a rust specialist than a the bride'shometown(Anonymous 1912). gênerai naturalist, although he was a na- turalist for the rest of his life. One ofthe courses that Frasertaughtat Macdonald Collège was listed in the Col­ One of Fraser's greataccomplishments, lège Announcement as: «Course 6, Plant in those early days of his career, was the Diseases, a laboratory and field study of production of a monograph on «The Rusts the common parasitic fungi of cultivated of Nova Scotia.» Although read before plants and methods of prévention and members of the Nova Scotia Institute of treatment; study of diseased tissues; cul­ Science on 23 May 1910, it was not pu- tural studies. A collection of 50 varietiesof blished, with some additions, until 1913 fungi is required of each student.» (Fraser 1913). That monograph, embody- ing the results of field, cultural and mi- During his first year in Québec, Fraser croscopical studies over a period of only demonstrated his ability as a naturalist by two years, may well be considered as the delivering a paper on the économie im­ beginning of «scientific» research on the portance of land birds, to the Québec rust fungi in Canada.
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