The Complete Works of James Arthur Harris, Vol. 3: 1918-1921 (Classic Reprint)
(Excerpt from The Complete Works of James Arthur Harris, V...)
Excerpt from The Complete Works of James Arthur Harris, Vol. 3: 1918-1921
Practical Universality of Field Heterogeneity as ?actor Influencing Plot Yields. Irhal of Agricultural Research. Vol. XIX, No. 7, Ly, 1920.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
James Arthur Harris was an American botanist and biometrician. He was head of the department of botany at the University of Minnesota from 1924 until his death.
Background
James Arthur Harris, was born on September 29, 1880, on a farm near Plantsville, Ohio, United States, the son of Jordan Thomas and Ida Ellen (Lambert) Harris. On his mother’s side he was descended on the one hand from John Lambert, the noted English general under Oliver Cromwell, and on the other from Quaker ancestry, the Embrees. His fifth birthday was spent in a covered wagon, since his parents had begun the long trek of the pioneer migration across the plains. They went first to western Nebraska, then to western Kansas, and a little later to eastern Kansas where they settled on a farm. During this series of migrations the resources of the family became seriously depleted, and accordingly, when the boy was thirteen years old, he undertook to support himself completely. From that age on he received no further financial aid from his parents.
Education
Harris' schooling was provided for wholly through his own efforts, and he likewise made provision for the education of his sister. In 1901 he received the degree of A. B. from the University of Kansas, followed by that of M. A. in 1902, and in 1903 the Ph. D. from Washington University, St. Louis.
Career
From 1901 to 1903 James Harris was botanical assistant at the Missouri Botanical Gardens, from 1904 to 1907 he was librarian at the same institution, and over the same period of time, 1903-1907, he was an instructor in the department of botany of Washington University. In 1907 he joined the staff of the Station for Experimental Evolution of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, with the title of botanical investigator, and held that position until 1924 when he was called to be head of the department of botany of the University of Minnesota, which place he filled with signal honor until his untimely death in his fiftieth year.
There was no branch of science which Harris felt too trivial for exact investigation and accurate measurement. The experiences of his early youth left a profound influence upon his later life, for he was primarily a scientific pioneer. His philosophy of the life of such a pathfinder is expressed in “Frontiers, ” his presidential address before the Minnesota Chapter of Sigma Xi, June 1929.
As a botanist Harris believed in studying plants in their own environment. Recognizing that with the advance of agriculture and population the natural environment becomes greatly altered, he was attracted to the wilder natural areas and spent many seasons in studying the vegetation of the Dismal Swamp, the coastal swamps of the Atlantic border of the United States, the Everglades, the deserts and rain-forests of Jamaica and Hawaii, and the deserts of Utah and Arizona. For ten successive seasons he studied the plant associations characteristic of the area lying in the basin of the prehistoric tertiary Lake Bonneville of Utah. His precise methods of thought and work caused him to adapt the more exact technique of physics and chemistry to his studies of plant geography, so that the data which he recorded might be without a personal bias.
The United States Department of Agriculture early recognized the importance of his method of attack for agricultural problems, and from 1918 until his death he was a collaborator of the Bureau of Plant Industry, working largely upon problems of cotton and cereal growing in the arid or semi-arid regions of the West.
Achievements
James Harris was one of the few scientists who have made major contributions in many fields, including botany and biometry. His papers, contributed to scientific journals, number more than three hundred titles and include topics pertaining to almost every field of the biological sciences. Harris is known also as America’s leading exponent of and main contributor to biometrical theory and practice.
He was a member of many scientific societies, president of the American Society of Naturalists, and a fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Personality
As a man Harris abhorred artificiality and imitation.
Interests
Harris' avocation reflected his love of the frontier: he collected old Navajo rugs, old Pima and Papago Indian baskets, and the tales and traditions of the early West. The Indian wares manufactured for the tourist trade did not attract him, but those things which were a part of the native Indian life and the early days of the white man in the West he sought after and greatly prized. His collection of blankets and baskets rivaled in importance those to be found in the larger American museums.
Connections
On April 20, 1910, Harris married Emma Lay of New York City. In his home life he was singularly happy.
