Hermann Wilfarth

Hermann Wilfarth (born May 21, 1853 in Hamburg , † November 27, 1904 in Bernburg ) was a German agricultural chemist . As an employee at the Anhalt Research Station in Bernburg, he was involved in all of Hermann Hellriegel's experiments, which led to the epoch-making discovery in 1886 that legumes can use atmospheric nitrogen for their growth with the help of nodule bacteria .

Life

Hermann Wilfarth, son of a merchant, studied chemistry in Zurich, Aachen and Leipzig, and in 1873 at the University of Rostock with a dissertation on Sulfobenzolamid Dr. phil. PhD. He then worked briefly as an industrial chemist. In 1874 he switched to agriculture. He completed a practical apprenticeship, studied agriculture with Julius Kühn at the University of Halle (Saale) and in 1879 took on an assistant position at the agricultural research station in Dahme / Mark (Niederlausitz) led by J. Fittbogen . In 1882 he followed Hermann Hellriegel to the newly built Anhalt research station in Bernburg.

In Bernburg, Wilfarth was involved in Hellriegel's fundamental experiments, which led to the discovery in 1886 that legumes can use atmospheric nitrogen for their growth with the help of their nodule bacteria . Hellriegel and Wilfarth described these epoch-making experiments in great detail and published them together in 1888 in the publication " Investigations on the nitrogen nutrition of the Gramineae and legumes ".

After Hermann Hellriegel's death in 1895, Wilfarth became his successor in office. Under Wilfarth's direction, research on sugar beet was the focus at the Bernburg station . The problem of heart and dry rot in beet was particularly intensively worked on. Another research focus was investigations into the potassium requirements of agricultural crops . Wilfarth has paid tribute to the scientific life's work of his predecessor Hermann Hellriegel in several articles.

Publications (selection)

• About sulfobenzolamide . Diss. Phil. Univ. Rostock 1873.
• Investigations into the nitrogen nutrition of the gramineae and legumes (together with Hermann Hellriegel). Supplement to the magazine of the Association of the Beet Sugar Industry of the German Reich, Vol. 38, 1888.
• Hermann Hellriegel † . In: The agricultural test stations, Vol. 46, 1896, pp. 1–8.

literature

• H. Roemer: Hermann Wilfarth † . In: The agricultural test stations, Vol. 61, 1905, pp. 482–484.
• G. Wimmer et al .: Memorandum to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Anhalt research station in Bernburg 1882-1932 . In: Journal of the Association of the German Sugar Industry Vol. 82, 1932, Techn. Part, pp. 277-315 (with list of publications).

Web links

Wikisource: Hermann Wilfarth  - Sources and full texts