r*
1942]
Kern: Joseph Charles Arthur
837
Dr. Arthur. It is a marvelous example of how invaluable voluntary assistance may be enlisted through boundless enthusiasm and fine inspiration.
Throughout his long professional career Dr. Arthur's work was never limited to the facilities and resources of the institution with which he was connected but extended far beyond that range.
In 1905 he brought out a new classification for the order Uredinales.
Although he modified this classification in later years it served in its time as
a great impetus to the researches on the group. In 1907 he began the preparation of a taxonomic treatment of the North American Uredinales for the
North American Flora (published by the New York Botanical Garden).
This ran into 11 parts consisting of a total of 765 pages and required 20
years for completion. Two books have been published—a volume titled The
Plant Busts in 1929 (in collaboration with F. D. Kern, C. R. Orton, F. D.
Fromme, H. S. Jackson, E. B. Mains, and G. B. Bisby, all former associates
in his laboratories), a biological treatment, and a Manual of the Busts in
United States and Canada, in 1934, a taxonomic treatment. In addition to
these larger publications he found time to bring out a very long list of papers
dealing with varied aspects of the rusts. Many collectors sent him their
specimens. He determined and reported on collections not only from the
United States but from Canada, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Guatemala,
South America, and the Philippines. He made collecting trips himself to
the Rocky Mountains, New England, several southeastern States, and to
Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in the Southwest. He made numerous
trips to Europe partly because of his fondness for travel but mostly to study
type specimens in some old world Herbarium or Botanical Garden, to obtain
access to some rare literature, or to confer with fellow workers, or to attend
an International Botanical Congress where botanical nomenclature Avas
under discussion. He was naturally much concerned with the rules of
nomenclature, not only as they applied to his group of rusts, but also as
they applied to the host plants. He was active in the Congresses at Vienna,
1905, Brussels, 1910, and Cambridge, 1930. In 1925 a trip was planned
especially to confer with European mycologists who had special interests
in the rusts. It was the privilege of the writer to accompany Dr. Arthur
on this trip. Visits were made with Klebahn, Sydow, Dietel, Kniep, Lager-
heim, Eriksson, Juel, J0rstad, Gaumann, Ramsbottom, Butler, and Miss
Wakefield. A paper in Science (Vol. 43, pp. 558-560), entitled Conversations with European Mycologists, illustrates the value of exchanging opinions with fellow botanists in Germany, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and
England. It was a strong link in a chain of cosmopolitan activities forged
by Dr. Arthur throughout his long life.
It is difficult to render an adequate appraisal of Dr. Arthur's contributions to our knowledge of the plant rusts. They are set forth in 150 papers
over a period of more than fifty years. The total number of papers on all
subjects is 289. No detail was ever too small to be considered and no effort
was too great if there was a possibility of arriving at a clearer understanding
7       8       9      11
copyright reserved
Purdue
UNIVERSITY