John Stuart Yeates
| John Stuart Yeates | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Stuart Yeates 11th July 1900 |
| Died | 24 August 1986 Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Residence | Awapuni, Palmerston North, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Institutions | Massey Agricultural College |
| Alma mater | PhDs from University of New Zealand and Cambridge University[1] |
| Spouse | Ruth Lillian Young |
John Stuart Yeates, MBE, PhD (11 July 1900 - 24 August 1986[2]), also known as Jack Yeates,[3] was a New Zealand academic and botanist. The founding head of Agricultural Botany at Massey Agricultural College, he was also an accomplished breeder of azaleas, rhododendrons and lilies.
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[edit] Early life and education
Born into a farming family in Waitara in the Taranaki, Yeates attended Stratford District High School (where he won an Entrance Scholarship (later called the University Entrance Scholarship)) and then Victoria College (now Victoria University of Wellington, then part of the University of New Zealand) in Wellington. He completed a B.Sc and then a M.Sc in Botany with first class honours. He obtained a Jacob Joseph Scholarhsip.[4] He then completed the first PhD from the University of New Zealand.[5] He left for Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied chromosomal counts in plants, starting in 1925. He returned to New Zealand in July 1927 and was awarded his Trinity College PhD in 1931, having completed his research in parallel with his teaching commitments at the newly-created Massey College (now Massey University, then also part of the University of New Zealand) outside Palmerston North.
[edit] Academic work
His early research was on New Zealand flax/Phormium tenax (Māori: harakeke),[1] which at the time was used extensively as fibre for ropes and cloths. One of the key centres for production was the delta of the Manawatu River, but Yeates travelled extensively looking for quality cultivars which he grew on the Turitea campus. Flax had long been used for textiles (see Māori traditional textiles) and it was correctly guessed that the best cultivars were to be found adjacent to historical sites of textile-making. The Great Depression of the 1930s caused serious damaged the commercial flax industry in New Zealand and it never recovered.
Some of the flax worked involved chromosome counting, which he had previously done in his thesis work. The flax Ngaro was found to have 32 rather than the normal 24 chromosomes.[6][7]
Later research involved "farm forestry" a movement to introduce trees onto farms for the benefit of livestock, pasture and crops and as a source of income.
He was the founding head of Agricultural Botany at Massey and this was his core teaching area. In 1954 he, with E. O. Campbell, published Agricultural Botany, a textbook based on this teaching.
[edit] Plant breeding
Yeates was a foundation member of the New Zealand Rhododendron Association in 1944 and also its some-time Secretary-Treasurer.[1] He was also crucial in the founding of the national garden of the association (now "Heritage Park") at Kimbolton (which is close to his home in Palmerston North, but has better soil and climate for rhododendron). He was also active in the introduction and breeding of azaleas, rhododendrons and Lilium hybrids.[1][8]
The name Melford Hybrids was used for his lily crosses,[9] which he bred initially at his property on Long Melford Rd, in Palmerston North. Of these Journey's End[10] has been commercially successful.
[edit] Awards
- 1918 Entrance Scholarship[11]
- 1922 National Research Scholarship[11]
- 1925 First Post-Graduate Scholarship in Science[11]
- 1957 Associate of Honour of the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture.[1]
- 1969 Lyttel Lily Cup, Royal Horticultural Society
- 1977 Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for contributions to horticulture.[12]
[edit] Bibliography
- J. S. Yeates, "The Root Nodules of Conifers" - 1923 - MSc Thesis Victoria University College
- J. S. Yeates, The Nucleolus of Tmesipteris tannensis Proceedings of the Royal Society London. Ser. B. 98, 1925, 227-224.
- J. S. Yeates, Some problems in the comparison of Chromosomes - 1931 - PhD Thesis University of Cambridge
- J. S. Yeates, Farm Trees and Hedges - 1942 - Massey Agricultural College (University of New Zealand)
- J. S. Yeates, Farm Trees and Hedges 2nd Edition - 1948 - Massey Agricultural College (University of New Zealand)
- J. S. Yeates and E. O. Campbell, Agricultural Botany 1954 - Massey Agricultural College (University of New Zealand)
- J. S. Yeates and E. O. Campbell, Agricultural Botany 2nd Edition 1960 - Government Printer (Wellington, New Zealand)
- J. S. Yeates Rhododendron Growing in New Zealand; Its Past, Present, and Future 1972 - Journal American Rhododendron Society
- J. S. Yeates Regular articles in The New Zealand Gardener 1940s-1950s
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Historical Notes About Two International Rhododendron Conference Speakers, Journal of the American Rhododendron Society.
- ^ "Palmerston North - Cemetery warrant for JOHN STUART YEATES". pncc.govt.nz. 2011 [last update]. http://www.pncc.govt.nz/ServicesAndFacilities/OnlineServices/CemeteryAndCremationDetail.aspx?id=37869. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ^ NZETC entity page
- ^ "Papers Past — Evening Post — 13 September 1923 — VICTORIA COLLEGE COUNCIL". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2011 [last update]. http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19230913.2.94&srpos=51&. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Letter from The Registar to G.W. Yeates, dated 2 August 1982.
- ^ "Papers Past — Evening Post — 21 December 1929 — FLAX RESEARCH". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2011 [last update]. http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19291221.2.108&srpos=100&. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Papers Past — Evening Post — 8 December 1927 — FLAX GROWING". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. 2011 [last update]. http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19271208.2.82&srpos=6. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ Maggy Wassilieff. Suburban front gardens, Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, Ministry for Culture and Heritage. ISBN 9780478184518. Updated 20 November 2008.
- ^ The Lily Register lilyregister.com
- ^ The Lily Register lilyregister.com
- ^ a b c Academic Record for John Stuart Yeates, dated 30 July 1982
- ^ "Supplement to the London Gazette". 31 December 1977. http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/47420/supplements/43. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
[edit] Further reading
- Who's who in New Zealand 3rd Edition (1932)
- Who's who in New Zealand 6th Edition (1956)
- Notable New Zealander's The Pictorial Who's Who 1st Edition (1976)
- John Stuart Yeates by J.E.Godley, Biographical Notes (67) serialised in New Zealand Botanical Society Newsletter 90-92, 2007-2008.
[edit] External links
- Heritage Park Heritage Park rhododendron garden, formerly National Garden of the New Zealand Rhododendron Association
- John Stuart Yeates, Massey College. (ca December 1951). Image of Yeates at work, in the collection of the Alexander Turnbull Library
- Mentioned in the letters of John Cawte Beaglehole held by the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
