DEATH OF DR. F.W. HILGENDORF

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23752, 25 September 1942, Page 6

DEATH OF DR. F.W. HILGENDORF

NOTED CAREER IN SCIENCE WORK FOR AGRICULTURE Dr. Frederick William Hilgendorf, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S.N.Z., director of the Wheat Research Institute and formerly professor of agricultural botany at Canterbury Agricultural College, died suddenly at Wellington on Wednesday evening. Dr. Hilgendorf was born in Otago in 1874, the son of Mr C. Hilgendorf, engineering contractor, who went to Otago in 1860 to build the Main South road from Dunedin towards Invercargill. Dr. Hilgendorf was educated at the Otago Boys’ High School, the University of Otago, and Auckland University College. He graduated M.A. with firstclass honours at Otago in 1897, and D.Sc. in 1905 at Auckland, and was later elected a Fellow of the New Zea-

DR. F. W. HILGENDORF land Institute. After holding a position on the staff of the Prince Albert College at Auckland, he was appointed lecturer in natural science at Canterbury Agricultural College in 1899. After three years’ service he left to take a position at the Southland Boys’ High School, remaining there three years before being reappointed to Canterbury Agricultural College, Lincoln. He resigned from the position as professor of agricultural botany at Lincoln in 1936.

Besides teaching agricultural botany (at which he gained a reputation as an expert lecturer), Dr. Hilgendorl engaged in plant-breeding, especially of wheat. His work largely inspired the association of farmers, millers, and bakers to form the Wheat Research Institute, founded in 1928, when he was appointed director. Under his direction the institute gained a firm place in the wheat industry, his policy being to make research serve every practical need of the industry. In the early years of the institute’s existence Cross 7 wheat, the breeding of which he had initiated at Lincoln, was distributed and became the leading variety in the Dominion. t Dr, Hilgendorf was appointed a professor of the University of New Zealand in 1930 and a member of the Academic Board in 1933. He was a member of the council of the Royal Society of New Zealand and was treasurer and a past president of the Canterbury branch of the society. His publications consist of scientific papers in tho Transactions of the New Zealand Institute, and a number of text books on agricultural matters, one of the most recent being "Wheat in New Zealand.’’

In his younger days Dr. Hilgendorf was a keen football player, and in 1908 he was instrumental in founding the Ellesmere Rugby Sub-Union. For many years ho did much exploratory work in the Canterbury ranges, exploring numerous passes and peaks. In 1923 he worked with Mr G. N. Carrington in producing the well-known map of the headwaters of the Waimakariri river.

In 1905 Dr. Hilgendorf married Frances Elizabeth, daughter of Mr F. C. Murray, of Lincoln. His two sons, are Charles, who graduated M.A. from Canterbury University College and is farming in the Ashburton County, and Murray, who took a B.E. degree at Canterbury University College and is engaged on aerodrome construction work in Western Australia.

Deep regret at the death of Dr. Hilgendorf was expressed by Mr R. T. McMillan, at the conclusion last.evening of a meeting, at which he presided, between the Minister of Primary Production for War Purposes (the Hon. W. J. Poison) and representatives of the North Canterbury and Mid-Canterbury Primary Production Councils. Dr. Hilgendorf, said Mr McMillan, had been very well known to farmers throughout New Zealand, and especially to the wheat farmers of Canterbury, and his death was a severe loss. MR JAMES FITZSIMMONS The death has occurred at his home at Sydenham, of Mr James Fitzsimmons, who for many years, before his transfer to Christchurch, was senior linesman for the Post and Telegraph Department at Greymouth. He was a member of the Greymouth Fire Brigade for 21 years, holding the position of foreman, as well as being a keen competitor. He was a member of the Greymouth Town Band and a former member of the Greymouth Regatta Club, winning many races at Moana and Greymouth. He was also a member of the Greymouth Athletic Club, Mr Fitzsimmons was a brother-in-law of the late Hon. James Goodall, M.L.C, He is survived by his wife, three, daughters, and two sons, and a-numbed