William Saunders (scientist)

William Saunders (June 16, 1836 – September 13, 1914) was a Canadian agriculturalist, entomologist and pharmacist. He was a pioneer in Canadian agricultural science, led the establishment of the Experimental Farm System and served as its first director for almost 25 years.

William Saunders
Born	(1836-06-16)June 16, 1836 Crediton, England
Died	September 13, 1914(1914-09-13) (aged 78) London, Ontario
Children	six, including Charles E. Saunders

Saunders was born in Crediton, England, the son of James Saunders and Jane (Wollacott) Saunders. His father was a shoemaker and Methodist preacher.[1][2] In 1848, when Saunders was twelve years old, the family emigrated to Canada and settled in London, Ontario. Saunders had little or no formal education in London but was instead apprenticed to a local druggist, John Salter. In 1855 when he was only nineteen, Saunders opened his own pharmacy which he eventually expanded into a wholesale pharmaceutical business that specialized in medicinal extracts made from plants.[3]

Saunders became a well-known and influential part of the pharmaceutical community in Canada and the United States. In 1867 he was a founding member and later president of the Canadian Pharmaceutical Society. He was an active member of the American Pharmaceutical Association, serving as president in 1877-1878. In 1871 he helped establish the Ontario College of Pharmacy and served as president for two years. He also lectured on materia medica (pharmacology) at the University of Western Ontario.[3]

Saunders' interest in plants and their medicinal properties led him to the study of entomology with a focus on applications in agriculture. He befriended Charles Bethune who shared his interest in insects and together they helped found the Entomological Society of Canada in 1863. In 1868 they began publishing the Canadian Entomologist, a journal to which they were the sole contributors for the initial two issues. Bethune was the editor for the first five years and then Saunders served as editor until 1886.[4] Both the society and the journal were the first of their kind in Canada to focus on entomology and their influence extended to the United States, where many entomologists were members of the Canadian society and published in the journal.[2] In 1883 he published Insects Injurious to Fruits, which served as the standard text on the subject in North America for 25 years.[5]

Saunders' most important contributions were made in the field of horticulture. In 1869 he bought a small farm near London, planted fruit-trees, and began experiments in hybridization. The results of his work were published by the Fruit Growers' Association of Ontario, another organization in which he was involved. By 1880 Saunders was regarded as the leading authority on agriculture and horticulture in Canada.[1] Consequently, in 1885, when the Canadian government was considering ways to improve agricultural output, they asked Saunders to investigate the feasibility of implementing an experimental farm system similar to the model used in the United States. Saunders visited several experimental farms in America and delivered his recommendations the following year.[1]

The government accepted Saunders' recommendations on the establishment of experimental farms and appointed him director in 1887. For the next 25 years Saunders led research into horticulture, forestry, and animal husbandry. The focus was on practical solutions to the problems faced by Canadian farmers. In particular, the experimental farms produced improved varieties of grain, livestock and fruit trees that were adapted to the Canadian climate.[6] He began the work that was completed by his son Charles E. Saunders to develop the important wheat cultivar 'Marquis'.[3] Among the high-profile individuals who reviewed his experimental farms are included Peter Kropotkin, the author of Fields, Factories, and Workshops.[7]

He retired in 1911 when his health began to fail. In gratitude for his service, the Department of Agriculture sent him on a year-long tour of Europe. Shortly after his return to Canada he died on September 13, 1914.

He belonged to many scientific societies and received many honors. He was one of the original members of the Royal Society of Canada, the recipient of honorary degrees from Toronto and Queen's Universities, and in 1905 was made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George.[1]