Born in Constance, the viticulture expert Hofrat Karl Mader (1847-1914) started working as a travelling instructor for the Agricultural and Horticultural Society in Bolzano after attending the Agricultural School in Rütti (Switzerland) and training in agricultural enterprises in Germany. In 1877 he was appointed as a teacher of fruit growing and viticulture at the San Michele all'Adige agricultural college. From 1882 he became editor of the "Tiroler landwirtschaftliche Blätter" and the "Tiroler landwirtschaftlichen Kalender", where he wrote numerous articles, especially about fruit growing. From 1893 onwards he carried out fertilisation experiments in viticulture and supervised the vine nurseries in preparation for measures to combat phylloxera. In 1902 he was appointed director of San Michele, and his term of office until 1909 saw the reconstruction of the vineyards in Tyrol after the introduction of phylloxera. In his retirement he continued to carry out fruit growing experiments. For his achievements Karl Mader received numerous honours and finally the Order of Knights. His son Josef Mader (1876-1938) succeeded him as a viticulture expert.
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