of Smith College
In 1879, two courses in Botany, given by Professor of Biology John M. Taylor, were offered as electives in the summer terms of the first and second year of study: Gray's Manual, with Lectures on Structural Botany, and Structural and Microscopic Botany.
In 1883, Miss Ruth Hoppin, Teacher of Biology and Botany, taught students Gray's Manual of Botany, Morphology and Classifications, and Bessey's Botany.
In 1886, courses in botany became required for the Scientific Course and remained electives in the Classical Course. Rev. John H. Pillsbury, Professor of Botany, taught Plant Description and Analysis, Study of Types of Living Organisms, Systematic Botany, Vegetable Histology, Vegetable Physiology, and other lectures and laboratory work.
In 1890, Grace D. Chester, Instructor in Botany, joined Rev. Pillsbury, and Cryptogamic Biology was offered for the first time.
In 1894, William F. Ganong, appointed as Director of the Botanic Garden, and with the assistance of Miss Chester, offered eightcourses in Botany:
In 1902, Miss Julia Warner Snow, Instructor in Botany, taught the first course in Bacteriology. The 1906-1907 circular listed Professor Ganong, Associate Professor Snow, Dr. Smith, and Mr. Canning. Miss Sophia Hennion Eckerson was listed as a Demonstrator in Botany.
In 1909, Miss Helen Ashhurst Choate was acknowledged as Assistant in Botany. In 1910 Smith added a course entitled The Native Flora, offered by Dr. Smith, who was appointed Associate Professor in 1911. The 1911-1912 circular listed Edna Cutter as Demonstrator in Botany, and a cryptic entry "Instructor in Horticulture: -- --" was perhaps meant to acknowledge Mr. Canning, who was unsuccessful in getting President Seelye to grant him that title.
In 1913, three new courses were offered: Advanced Horticulture and Landscape Gardening by Miss Edna Dwinel Stoddard (Instructor in Horticulture), History of Botany by Miss Choate, and Morphology of the Lower Plants by Associate Professor Snow. In 1914, the former became simply Landscape Gardening, taught by Assistant Professor Stoddard. Also in 1914, Dr. Grace Lucretia Clapp joined the faculty as Instructor in Botany.
In 1982, students chose among Plants and Human Welfare (Mr. Reid), Plant Biology (Mr. Frado), Horticulture (Mr. Armstrong), Morphology of the Non-vascular Plants (Mr. Haskell), Morphology of the Vascular Plants (Mr. Haskell), Plant Systematics (Mr. Burk), Plant Physiology (Mr. Reid), and Plant Ecology (Mr. Burk), among other courses in the Biological Sciences.
In 1998, Biological Sciences courses in plant science included: Horticulture and Horticulture Laboratory (Kim Tripp), Plant Biology and Plant Biology Laboratory (Philip D. Reid), Plant Physiology and Plant Physiology Laboratory
(Philip D. Reid), and Plant Systematics and Plant Systematics Laboratory (C. John Burk).