[1] He introduced Erwinia amylovora (called by him Micrococcus amylovorus) as the causal agent of pear fire blight.

[2] Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, he moved with his family at age 9 to a farm in Stephenson County, Illinois.

In 1867, he was selected by John Wesley Powell to be the botanist for an expedition to the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

[3] After the Colorado expedition, Burrill began teaching algebra as an assistant professor in 1869.

In 1868, he was elected professor of botany and horticulture at University of Illinois and remained there the rest of his career, eventually serving as Vice President in 1882.