Ferdinand Senft

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(Carl Friedrich) Ferdinand Senft (born May 6, 1808 in Möhra ; † March 30, 1893 in Eisenach ) was a German teacher, geologist , mineralogist , soil scientist and botanist . Its official botanical author's abbreviation is " Senft ".

Live and act

Senft was born the son of a tax official in Eisenach. His grandfather was a pastor in Möhra . Here he spent his childhood up to the age of eight, he learned to read and write at a private school in Eisenach ; In 1819 he switched to high school. From 1829 to 1834 he studied theology and natural sciences at the universities in Jena and Göttingen . From 1835 to 1890 he was a teacher of natural sciences at the forestry school in Eisenach, founded and directed by Gottlob König . At times he also gave lessons at the Eisenacher Realgymnasium, today's Ernst-Abbe-Gymnasium .

In addition to his teaching activity, Senft worked as a private scholar. He dealt intensively with scientific questions in the fields of geology , mineralogy , soil science and botany . He was particularly interested in the weathering processes in soil formation and their effects on vegetation. Senft is considered one of the founders of soil and weathering science. For the first time he described soils based on different grain sizes , colors and humus contents in their horizontal structure and made classifications according to soil characteristics. He wrote numerous books that received high recognition in the professional world. As early as 1850 he was awarded the title of professor. From 1855 he was a member of the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina and an honorary member of numerous other scientific societies. He was a member of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors and the German Geological Society . As a result of a hearing impairment, he had to quit his job at the Eisenach secondary school.

He died on March 29, 1893 in Eisenach .

Major works

  • Textbook of mountain and soil science. Initially for forestry and agriculture . 2 volumes, Jena 1847.
  • The humus, marsh, peat and limonite formations as a means of creating new layers of earth bark. For geologists, miners, foresters and farmers . Leipzig 1862.
  • The stone rubble and soil according to formation, existence, properties, changes and behavior to plant life for agriculture and forestry, as well as for geography . Berlin 1867; 2nd edition under the title Textbook of Rock and Soil Science, ibid. 1877.
  • The clay substances (kaolin, clay, loess, loam, lettuce and marl) according to origin, existence, properties and types of deposits for forestry, agriculture, technicians and geologists . Berlin 1879.
  • The soil according to its origin, properties and behavior towards the plant world. A textbook for all friends of the plant kingdom, but especially for forestry and agriculture . Hanover 1888.
  • Walks into the realm of stones. Dedicated to all friends of mineralogy who want to get to know the dwellings, societies, modes of transformation and physical formation of minerals in general after their regular evolution . Hanover 1891.

literature

  • M. Büsgen: C. Fr. Ferdinand Senft . In: Reports of the German Botanical Society, vol. 11, 1893, general assembly booklet, pp. 44–45.
  • E. Roth: Carl Friedrich Ferdinand Senft . In: Leopoldina H. 29, 1893, pp. 130–132 (with list of publications).
  • Karl Waldmann: Ferdinand Senft, the founder of soil and weathering studies, an educator from Ernst Abbe . Eisenach 1938.

Web links

Wikisource: Ferdinand Senft  - Sources and full texts

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Members of the Society of German Natural Scientists and Doctors 1857
  2. ↑ Directory of members of the German Geological Society 1878 digitized
personal data
SURNAME Senft, Ferdinand
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Senft, Carl Friedrich Ferdinand
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German geologist, mineralogist, soil scientist and botanist
DATE OF BIRTH May 6, 1810
PLACE OF BIRTH Möhra (Thuringia)
DATE OF DEATH March 30, 1893
Place of death Eisenach