Egon you

Egon Ihne (born June 3, 1859 in Rheinbach near Bonn ; † December 6, 1943 in Darmstadt ) was a German high school professor and phenologist . He is considered to be the decisive pioneer of scientific plant phenology in Germany.

Professional background

Egon Ihne, the son of a coal mine director, studied natural sciences at the University of Bonn and from 1878 at the University of Giessen , where he in 1880 with a plant geography dissertation Dr. phil. received his doctorate. From 1881 until his retirement in 1924 he worked in the Hessian school service, first at the grammar school in Gießen , from 1885 in the secondary school in Friedberg and from 1885 as a grammar school professor at the new grammar school and educational seminar in Darmstadt .

As a specialist teacher for natural sciences, he mainly taught botany and geography . He also emerged as a textbook author with a study booklet that was published several times under the title "Geography for Sexta" . He dedicated the book "Der Nordpolarforscher Carl Weyprecht " , which he published himself in 1913, to the memory of a Hessian compatriot, the co-discoverer of Franz-Josef-Land . In addition to his work in higher education, Ihne researched the field of plant phenology, which at the time was little noticed by science, as a private scholar.

Scientific life's work

The botanist Hermann Hoffmann , who teaches at the University of Giessen, already inspired him for plant phenology during his doctorate (1880) . This subject area, the study of the development phases of plants in the course of the year, to research and to develop into a scientific discipline, became his real life task.

First he studied the historical development of plant phenology and compiled a comprehensive bibliography of the previously existing literature. The result of these studies was the book " History of plant phenological observations in Europe, including a list of the writings in which they are recorded " , which was published in 1884 and is still noteworthy in terms of the history of science .

As early as 1883 Ihne organized the establishment of plant phenological observatories in Central Europe and published their results in "Phenological Reports" (1883–1943), which were published annually under his direction. For the presentation of the observation results, he often chose the clear form of the map . His " Phenological map of the spring arrival in Central Europe ", published in the magazine "Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen" in 1905 , was included in many textbooks and atlases. His research results and their cartographic presentation were particularly recognized in geographical science.

Ihne was the first to recognize the high value of the phenological research results for agricultural crop production and for fruit production . Basic considerations on this can be found in his book " About Relationships between Plant Phenology and Agriculture " (1909). The booklet " Map of the areas of Germany with early grain harvest (early threshing districts) " (1918), published with explanations, should be emphasized among his practice-oriented contributions from the field of agricultural crop production .

Ihne is considered to be the leading pioneer of scientific plant phenology in Germany. In 1925, the Technical University of Darmstadt awarded him the title of " Honorary Dr. Ing. " For his services to the development of plant phenology and its practical use in fruit growing and agriculture .

Main publications

• Plant Geography Studies: History of Immigration of Puccinia Malvaceraum and Elodea canadensis . Diss. Phil. Univ. Giessen 1880.
• History of plant phenological observations in Europe, together with a list of the writings in which they are recorded . J. Ricker´sche Buchhandlung Gießen 1884 = Contributions to Phenology Vol. I.
• Results of the most important plant phenological observations in Europe together with a spring map (together with Hermann Hoffmann). J. Ricker'sche Buchhandlung Gießen 1885.
• Geography in Sexta . Verlag A. Bergstraesser Darmstadt 1900; 2nd edition 1902; 7th edition 1910; 11th edition 1920.
• Phaenological map of the spring arrival in Central Europe . In: Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen Vol. 51, 1905, pp. 96-105 and Plate 9.
• German fruit growing . Edited by Rudolph Goethe with the assistance of Georg Ihne. Berlin 1908 = work of the German Agricultural Society H. 150.
• On the relationship between plant phenology and agriculture . Berlin 1909 = work of the German Agricultural Society H. 161.
• The north polar researcher Carl Weyprecht . Modifications made by Egon Ihne. Self-published by the editor, Friedberg 1913 = Hessische Volksbücher Vol. 17/18.
• Map of the areas of Germany with grain early harvest (Frühdruschbezirke). In addition to a detailed accompanying word . Darmstadt 1918 = work of the Chamber of Agriculture for the Grand Duchy of Hesse H. 22.

literature

• L. Spilger: Egon Ihne on his seventieth birthday . In: Geographischer Anzeiger Vol. 30, 1929, pp. 214–214 (with a list of selected publications).
• Hans Schrepfer : On Egon's 75th birthday on June 3, 1934 . In: Geographischer Anzeiger Vol. 35, 1934, pp. 351–352.
• Hans Schrepfer: Egon Ihne on his 80th birthday . In: Zeitschrift für Erdkunde Vol. 7, 1939, pp. 512-513.
• Karl Mägdefrau:  Ihne, Egon, plant phenologist. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 10, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1974, ISBN 3-428-00191-5 , p. 127 f. ( Digitized version ).

Web links

• Literature by and about Egon Ihne in the catalog of the German National Library