Plant Pathology at Washington State University, 1891-1989, and Cereal Research at Pullman
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Plant Pathology at Washington State University, 1891-1989, and Cereal Research at Pullman George W. Bruehl Table of Contents FOREWARD .................................................................................................................................................1 INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................................2 CHRONOLOGY ............................................................................................................................................4 THE START .................................................................................................................................................4 THE TIMES OF CHARLES V. PIPER, 1893-1903.............................................................................................7 THE R. KENT BEATTIE PERIOD, 1904-1909 ...............................................................................................10 THE HARRY B. HUMPHREY PERIOD, 1910-1913.........................................................................................12 THE IRA D. CARDIFF PERIOD, 1913-1916 ..................................................................................................14 THE FREDERICK D. HEALD ERA, 1917-1941 ..............................................................................................20 J. G. HARRAR AND EARL J. ANDERSON, 1941-1945...................................................................................26 THE GEORGE W. FISCHER AND J. WALTER HENDRIX PERIOD, 1946-1960...................................................27 THE C. GARDNER SHAW PERIOD, 1960-1972 ............................................................................................32 THE JOHN (JACK) F. SCHAFER PERIOD, 1972-1981 ...................................................................................36 THE ARLEN D. DAVISON PERIOD, 1981-1986.............................................................................................38 THE JACK D. ROGERS PERIOD, 1986- .......................................................................................................40 PERSONNEL..............................................................................................................................................45 DEPARTMENT CHAIRMEN...........................................................................................................................45 FACULTY ..................................................................................................................................................49 STUDENTS ................................................................................................................................................57 SUPPORT PERSONNEL ..............................................................................................................................86 BRANCH STATIONS .................................................................................................................................89 WESTERN WASHINGTON RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER, PUYALLUP ..................................................89 IRRIGATED AGRICULTURE RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER, PROSSER ................................................110 TREE FRUIT RESEARCH AND EXTENSION CENTER, WENATCHEE ...............................................................126 THE NORTHWEST WASHINGTON RESEARCH AND EXTENSION UNIT, MOUNT VERNON .................................138 TABLE OF CONTENTS PART II CEREAL RESEARCH AT PULLMAN......................................................................................................141 SMUTS ...................................................................................................................................................141 RUSTS....................................................................................................................................................190 FOOT ROT ..............................................................................................................................................194 ROOT ROTS............................................................................................................................................197 SNOW MOLD...........................................................................................................................................201 CEPHALOSPORIUM STRIPE ......................................................................................................................203 DISEASES OF THE GRAIN .........................................................................................................................204 VIRUS DISEASES .....................................................................................................................................205 TRIBUTE TO ORVILLE VOGEL AND DEDICTION ...........................................................................................207 FOREWARD Washington became a state, November 11, 1889, and Governor Elisha P. Ferry signed legislation 28 March 1890 establishing the Washington Agricultural College and School of Science, changed in 1891 to "Washington Agricultural College, Experiment Station, and School of Science." At this centennial time we reflect upon our roots. Major sources of information were the early Annual Reports of the Washington Agricultural Experiment Station (on film in the Owen Science Library, call no. S-0496), and "Plant Pathology in the State of Washington, Past, Present, Future," by former Department Chairman, George W. Fischer (Plant Disease Reporter Supplement 200, pages 42-55, 1951). Information about the university as a whole was obtained from "Historical Sketch of the State College of Washington," by President Enoch Albert Bryan, 1928; and "E. O. Holland and the State College of Washington, 1916-1944," by historian William M. Landeen, 1958. After the manuscript was complete I read the 1987 M.A. thesis in History, WSU, of Robert W. Hadlow, "A History of the Development of Scientific Research at Washington Agricultural Experiment Station, 1890- 1940," and "Creating the People's University, 1890-1990," by historian George A. Frykman, 1990. The illustrations are from entries to a T-shirt design contest within plant pathology, 1990. Figure 1 is by Cheryl Campbell, Figures 2-3 are by David Christian. The history is more than a story of the Plant Pathology Department. It contains much about the University as a whole that directly or indirectly affected the fortunes of plant pathology. WSU includes all activities in Washington, not just at Pullman. I want to thank Jack Rogers and Otis Maloy who read most of it, Gardner Shaw who read much of it and Rollie Line who read the cereal disease section. Jane Lawford typed the manuscript in its entirety, and she was patient during its revisions. I wanted to make it a history of plant pathology in Washington, including forestry at the University of Washington, activities of the Washington Department of Agriculture, Plant Quarantine and Private Consultants. I gave up on this goal and settled upon Washington State University alone. Included is much about finances, essential as background by which to judge progress within the institution. The first part is a brief history of plant pathology at WSU in general. The second part is a history of cereal research at Pullman, emphasizing the smuts. 1 INTRODUCTION The first part of this history records the arrival and departure of state and federal faculty concerned with plant pathology, first within Botany, later within Plant Pathology. The department at Pullman, the Main Station of the Agricultural Research Center, was static in number of faculty from its inception until about 1945. Until 1945, Washington State University expanded into new activities rather than strengthening existing units. In the beginning (the C. V. Piper and R. K. Beattie periods), plant pathology received its share of research support, considering the broad responsibilities of its few workers. H. B. Humphrey separated pathology from Botany in the experiment station and grouped pathology courses together in the Botany curriculum. I. D. Cardiff returned plant pathology to Botany within the experiment station. F. D. Heald established the Department of Plant Pathology, both within the experiment station and academically, and it has remained an independent department ever since. The teaching load at Pullman was oppressive until about 1946, and during many of the early years it was inequitably distributed among faculty. During the Heald period graduate students often served as full-fledged teachers, increasing the turn-over in the teaching faculty. If the state had provided three or four full-time career pathologists at Pullman to assist Heald, this department could have become the leading plant pathology department in the nation. Heald was the scholarly equal of any pathologist of his time. The only other long-time state pathologist at Pullman during the Heald era was Dr. Leon K. Jones, an able helper. I blame the expansionist policies of President Holland for the lost opportunity to become a truly great department. For example, Plant Pathology was better supported at times at Puyallup than at Pullman, probably because the budget for the Puyallup station was independent until 1946. Plant Pathology began to thrive under President Compton. Shortly after he became President of Washington State University (1945) and George