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Phytopathology
[Vol. 32
of recounting because they illustrate the possibilities of accomplishment
when a goal is set and persistently sought, in season and out, regardless of
obstacles or discouragements. The subject of our sketch early showed two
outstanding characteristics-—he was a nonconformist to many rules and customs and he had a burning desire to get into botanical work. The first got
him into some tight places in college. There were two college regulations
with which he came into conflict—-the one was that all students had to do
manual labor on the college farm and the other was that all had to participate in military drill. He tried to circumvent both and succeeded fairly
well. Assisting one of the professors in the laboratory got him out of the
farm work and taking some broadsword exercises sufficed for the military
drill. The combination of his disregard for regulations and his love for
botany operated together to get him into a difficulty that nearly prevented
his graduation. In 1872 the American Association for the Advancement of
Science met at Dubuque, Iowa. The great botanist, Asa Gray, was to be a
speaker. Of course, a budding botanical student desired to be there. In
fact, he just had to go. But the college authorities did not think it wise
and would not give their approval to his petition to be absent long enough
to attend the meeting. No amount of persuasion changed their verdict.
What did our independent, ambitious student do? He went. And he
graduated a little later, but many amends had to be made.
His desire to start on a career in botany, however, was not so easily satisfied. His first disappointment was that botany was not being taught when
he arrived at the Iowa State College. Before going to college he had found
a copy of The American Agriculturist in which the parts of a flower were
illustrated and described. He collected the plants of his home region, analyzed the flowers, and sought names for them. Although no one taught
botany when he arrived as a freshman in college, the professor of agriculture helped him by supplying the first botanical book he had ever seen. It
was Eton's Manual of about 1840. But the first real help came during his
sophomore year when Dr. Charles E. Bessey arrived at Ames as a member
of the instructional staff in 1870. An immediate friendship developed between instructor and student. Professor Bessey must have been delighted
to have such an enthusiastic student of botany and the student was certainly
fortunate to have contact with such a gifted and inspiring teacher. In later
years Professor Bessey referred to Dr. Arthur as his first "botanical son"
and was justly proud of him.
The college course then made a fine start toward specialization in botany,
thanks to Professor Bessey. There were courses in vegetable physiology
and economic plants, and lectures on weeds and parasitic fungi. Dr. Bessey's description of the last-named course was that the subject was illustrated by means of a good microscope, the College Herbarium, and a large
collection of fungous plants. Little wonder that a student of the proclivity
of Joseph Charles Arthur laid there the foundation for a long career in
mycology.    But, once through college, the young graduate  was severely
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