Erwin Frink Smith Archives

Erwin Frink Smith: Father of Phytobacteriology and Advocate for Women in Botany

Erwin Frink Smith (1854-1927), a prominent American plant pathologist who served as the Chief of Plant Pathology in the Bureau of Plant Industry, (USDA) for nearly four decades (1889-1927). The "father of bacterial plant pathology," he proved that bacteria can cause plant diseases. He was also known for his support of women in science, hiring and promoting female botanists as his assistants at the Bureau of Plant Industry. He loved his wife dearly.

Peach Yellows January 21, 1854 Today is the birthday of the Washington DC-based USDA botanist Erwin Frink Smith. Erwin had attempted to solve the problem of the peach yellows – a disease caused by a microorganism called a phytoplasma, and it was affecting Peach Orchards. It was called the Peach Yellows disease because the main…

January 21, 2021 Hillside Landscaping Ideas, Erwin Frink Smith, Rae Selling Berry, Rosemary Verey’s Thoughts on Patterns, American Grown by Michelle Obama, and Going Nuts on National Squirrel Appreciation Day

The Daily Gardener Podcast Album Cover with a pot of rosemary - the herb for remembrance - beckoning gardeners to remember to listen to the show. Updated September 2025.

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Curated News Hillside Landscaping Ideas | Better Homes & Gardens Botanical History On This Day 1854 Birth of Erwin Frink Smith, esteemed USDA botanist who investigated the…

The Sentimental Botanist: Erwin Frink Smith

“Erwin may not have solved the peach yellows problem, but he was a peach of a guy. In researching Erwin, I discovered a rare combination of kindness and intellect.” January 21, 1854 On this day, the Washington DC-based USDA botanist Erwin Frink Smith was born. Erwin had attempted to solve the problem of the peach…

January 21, 2020 The Winter Greenhouse, Ten Unusual Veggies to Grow, John Frémont, Robert Thornton, Dame Helen Gwynne-Vaughan, National Squirrel Appreciation Day, Snow Riddle, The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, Plastic Saucers, and Erwin Frink Smith

May 9, 2019 Your Impact on Your Garden, Alexandre Cassini, Lewis and Clark and Le Page, the Delaware State Flower, Hewett Watson, A Nation in Bloom, Matthew Biggs, Prune Time, and Erwin Frink Smith

Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart Support The Daily Gardener Buy Me A Coffee Connect for FREE! The Friday Newsletter | Daily Gardener Community Monologue Take two gardeners. Have them grow up learning to garden from the same person. Have them read the same gardening books. Have them go to the…

Botanist Erwin Frink Smith’s Memories of His Dear Wife Charlotte

“Had she cared for classification, which she did not, and been willing to make careful records, she might have become an expert naturalist.” May 9, 1888 On this day, the Peach Blossom was voted in as the Delaware State Flower. Peach blossoms are beautiful. The fruit is botanically known as a drupe. By 1875, Delaware…