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National Agricultural Library
U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Special Collections at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Library houses manuscripts and archival records documenting the history of agriculture and the USDA from the 19th through the 21st centuries. These collections include correspondence, field notes, journals, photographs, publications, posters, and other items of individuals who worked for or were associated with the USDA, individuals involved in non-USDA agricultural activities, and organizations related to agriculture. For more information or to schedule a visit, please contact Special Collections.

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Displaying 101 - 125 of 469 Collections

J. Horace McFarland Papers

The J. Horace McFarland Papers comprise documents used in the business operation of the J. Horace McFarland Company and Mount Pleasant Press of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Some of the photographic images in the collection were also used by McFarland for speeches and presentations he gave on topics related to civic beatification, natural resources conservation, and horticulture. The majority of the collection consists of photographs, glass and film negatives, transparencies, lantern slides, 35mm slides, watercolor paintings of plants (ornamentals and vegetables), and gardening subjects. There are plant-breeding records, mainly of rose varieties. These breeding records include cards or letter-sized forms each containing a black and white photograph of a rose specimen, cultivar description, and other horticultural documentation. The collection includes original artwork; nursery and seed trade catalogs produced by the company; photographs of the business office and printing plant; and a map of Breeze Hill, which was McFarland’s residence and test garden property in Harrisburg.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
J. Horace (John Horace) McFarland (1859-1948) was a conservationist, master printer, and horticulturist who specialized in producing books and catalogs for the horticultural trades, and photographs of roses. In 1878, McFarland started his own printing business, Mount Pleasant Press. His business focused on marketing horticultural products with photographic images, and he pioneered the use of color printing processes in his trade publications. Many of the photographs printed in McFarland's publications were taken at the trial gardens on the grounds of his residence, Breeze Hill.
Collection Number: 102
Earliest Date: 1923
Latest Date: 1975
Linear Feet: 432
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Economics; Plant Science
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Audiovisuals; Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Paul C. Marth and John W. Mitchell Papers

The Paul C. Marth and John W. Mitchell Papers include biographical information about both men; material gathered for the book Classic Papers in Horticultural Science; 66 of Marth’s notebooks; Marth’s 1942 Ph.D. thesis; reprints; and negatives of roses. There is correspondence mostly with Marth, very little Mitchell correspondence, and correspondence between J. Ray Frank and Stephen Weller regarding the two men in 1987.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
In 1944, Paul C. Marth (b. 1909) and John W. Mitchell (b. 1905) developed a plant growth regulator for use as a selective herbicide. The substance, "2,4-D," allowed for selective broadleaf weed control in agriculture and turf management. Together, Marth and Mitchell wrote articles.
Collection Number: 103
Earliest Date: 1933
Latest Date: 1993
Linear Feet: 8.75
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Farms and Farming Systems; Plant Science

Joseph Holmes Martin Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The Joseph Holmes Martin Papers include his theses entitled, "The Influence of Mating Upon the Strength of Fertility of Eggs," and "Inheritance in Poultry," as well as black and white photographs of Martin and other leaders of the poultry and allied industries, including Secretaries of Agriculture Earl Butz and Ezra T. Benson, and university and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) leaders in poultry science from the 1930s.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Joseph Holmes Martin (1895-1977) was head of the poultry department at the University of Kentucky from 1922-1938 and Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, from 1922-1938. He specialized in poultry genetics and wrote more than 80 poultry publications, including Turkey Management. In 1971, he was elected to the American Poultry Historical Society Poultry Hall of Fame.
Collection Number: 104
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1917
Latest Date: 1930
Bulk Dates: 1917-1930s
Linear Feet: 0.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry; USDA History
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Charles J. Meler Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The Charles J. Meler Papers include correspondence, egg marketing orders, and egg promotion material along with contracts for egg producers and started pullet growers in Illinois and neighboring states; publications of the American Poultry and Hatchery Federation and the Illinois Poultry Industry Council, and miscellaneous brochures from nationally known commercial poultry breeding organizations and equipment manufacturers.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Charles J. Meler of Nashville, Illinois, was a hatcheryman, member of the Illinois Poultry Industry Council, and past president of the American Poultry and Hatchery Federation.
Collection Number: 105
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1959
Latest Date: 1965
Linear Feet: 2.25
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Economics; Poultry
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: None

Richard I. Millar Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The Richard I. Millar Papers include reprints, bulletins and pamphlets; and clippings from trade journals, newspapers, and commercial brochures. Material addresses poultry management practices and equipment.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Millar used this poultry material in his teaching and research.
Collection Number: 106
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1896
Latest Date: 1991
Linear Feet: 7.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Reprints
Digitization Status: None

John R. Mohler Papers

The John R. Mohler Papers consist of photographs, Canadian exhibits, U.S. exhibits, a manuscript entitled "The Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Diseases in California," a log book, and certificates.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
John R. Mohler (1875-1952) began working at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1897 as an assistant inspector for the Bureau of Animal Industry. He was promoted to the position of Chief of the Pathological Division in 1902, and became the Chief of the Bureau in 1917, a position he held until his retirement in 1943. Mohler’s work focused on animal diseases, in particular those that affected cattle, birds, sheep, horses, and hogs. He authored or co-authored numerous bulletins, circulars, and articles on these topics. In 1933 Mohler was elected vice president of the International Veterinary Congress and in 1939 received the 12th International Veterinary Congress Prize in recognition of his distinguished achievements in veterinary service in the United States and foreign countries. This is the highest honor the veterinary profession bestows.
Collection Number: 107
Earliest Date: 1924
Latest Date: 1943
Linear Feet: 2.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Animal Science; USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Henry Cantwell Wallace Papers

The Henry Cantwell Wallace Papers consist of press releases of addresses and statements made by Wallace while he was Secretary of Agriculture.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Henry Cantwell Wallace (1866-1924) was Secretary of Agriculture from 1921-1924. Prior to working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Wallace was part owner and publisher of the Farm and Dairy, which became Wallaces’ Farm and Dairy and later Wallaces’ Farmer. After the death of his father, Wallace replaced him as editor. The journal gained a reputation as one of the leading agricultural periodicals in the United States. When he was appointed as Secretary of Agriculture, Wallace continued to assist farmers by developing improved systems of marketing, establishing the Bureau of Agricultural Economics and the Bureau of Home Economics, and initiating the radio service for market reports. His son, Henry Agard Wallace, was Secretary of Agriculture from 1933-1940, and Vice President of the United States from 1941-1945 (see Manuscript Collection 192).
Collection Number: 108
Earliest Date: 1921
Latest Date: 1924
Linear Feet: 0.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: USDA History
Digitization Status: None

Martin L. Mosher Manuscripts

The Martin L. Mosher Manuscripts include two multi-volume titles. The first is a seven-volume manuscript titled "Farmstead Pictures of the United States of North America at the Middle of the Twentieth Century" (1965); it contains 570 mounted illustrations textually documented, depicting the historic, geographic, and economic setting of farm people within each of the states. Mosher's two-volume manuscript, "The Cornbelt’s Last Open Pollenated Corn" (1974) is a historic study of open pollinated corn, such as was grown by Cornbelt farmers during the years immediately preceding the general introduction of hybrid corn.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Martin L. Mosher (1882-1980) spent more than 40 years working for the Agricultural Extension Service in Iowa and Illinois; the last 27 years of his career were spent as Farm Management Specialist in the Agricultural Extension Service in Illinois. During his career, Mosher received some of the highest honors given to extension workers.
Collection Number: 109
Earliest Date: 1965
Latest Date: 1974
Linear Feet: 2.4
Processed: Yes, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Plant Science
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: None

Clyde Dewey Mueller Papers: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The Clyde Dewey Mueller Papers include correspondence, files of breeding techniques, computer programs, random sample test reports, brochures published by a dozen poultry breeders, and an autobiography.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Clyde Dewey Mueller was a poultry geneticist for different U.S. and foreign breeders of chicken and turkey.
Collection Number: 111
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1939
Latest Date: 1995
Linear Feet: 3
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry
Digitization Status: None

National School Lunch Week Collection

The National School Lunch Week Collection consists of four scrapbooks commemorating National School Lunch Week in 1956 (10th Anniversary Year), 1964, 1965, and 1966 (20th Anniversary Year). The format of materials in the scrapbooks include correspondence, clippings, report excerpts, press releases, photographs, articles, newsletters, artwork, audio scripts, and ephemera. USDA Consumer and Marketing Service and American School Food Service Association (ASFSA) information is represented as well.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
National School Lunch Week was established in 1962. The concept of this week, which begins on the second Sunday in October, is to celebrate and promote the National School Lunch program. According to the American School Food Service Association (ASFSA), this week "is designed to help raise awareness of and garner support for the role that nutrition programs play in the lives of America’s children." Each year, the President of the United States issues a proclamation that calls on the people to observe National School Lunch Week. The program itself began in 1946, the result of a call for the standardization of the appropriations given by Congress to states to administer school local school lunch programs. Prior to 1946 such programs were run on a year-to-year basis, and expansion was quite slow. The congressional legislation provided schools with standards of nutrition for school lunches, as well as federal financial aid to purchase proper food and equipment.
Collection Number: 112
Earliest Date: 1956
Latest Date: 1966
Bulk Dates: 1956-1966
Linear Feet: 6
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Human Nutrition
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia; Photographs; Posters
Digitization Status: None

National Agricultural Library (NAL) Records

The National Agricultural Library (NAL) Records include correspondence, reports, regulations, agreements, budget hearings, clippings, articles, newsletters, manuals, and photographs on library-related activities. Of particular note are the records from 1907-1940 when Claribel R. Barnett was not only head librarian for the departmental library but also was quite active in the library-related organizations. The archival material includes papers relating to directors of the library such as Ralph Robert Shaw, 1940-1954, Foster E. Mohrhardt, 1954-1968, and John Sherrod, 1968-1973.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
In 1862 President Abraham Lincoln signed an act that established the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). One year later, through a donation of a collection of over 1,000 volumes of agriculture-related materials from the Agricultural Division of the U.S. Patent Office, the library mandated by the act establishing the USDA came to life. The purpose of the library was to gather agricultural information from a wide array of sources and provide it to the people of the United States. In the century that followed, the library was located in various locations in the USDA's buildings in Washington, D.C. Also during this time, the library had a formidable succession of librarians who were leaders in furthering the professionalism of librarianship. In 1962 Secretary of Agriculture Orville J. Freeman designated the USDA's library the National Agricultural Library (NAL). This move put the library on par with other national libraries, and also affirmed its distinction as one of the world’s foremost institutes of agricultural information. In 1960 plans were drawn up to create a new dedicated facility for the library. In 1969 the USDA's information institution was successfully moved from the USDA South Building to what is now the Abraham Lincoln Building, USDA, in Beltsville, Maryland. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s NAL brought forth many agriculture-related information resources and centers. Most notable of these resources are the Dictionary Catalog of the National Agricultural Library, 1862-1965; the National Agricultural Library Catalog, 1966-1970; CAIN (CAtaloging and INdexing) and CAIN-ON-LINE (later renamed AGRICOLA); and the Food and Nutrition Information Center.
Collection Number: 113
Earliest Date: 1867
Latest Date: 2016
Bulk Dates: 1867-1980
Linear Feet: 92.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: USDA History
Formats: Photographs
Digitization Status: Portion of collection digitized

Hudson Brick and Supply Company Ledgers

The Hudson Brick and Supply Company Ledgers contain two ledgers from the brickyard formerly located on the grounds of the U. S. National Arboretum.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The Hudson Brick and Supply Company (later the United Brick Corporation) was located on the grounds of the U.S. National Arboretum. Some of the kilns and buildings that were constructed 1927-1931 still stand and are of architectural interest. The ledgers reflect business transactions that took place in one of the significant manufacturing concerns (i.e. brickmaking) in the District of Columbia in the early twentieth century. In 1976 the complex was transferred to the US Department of Agriculture and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Collection Number: 114
Earliest Date: 1925
Latest Date: 1929
Linear Feet: 3
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Economics; USDA History
Digitization Status: None

National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Records

The National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Records consist of the constitution and by-laws of the NACAA, patents and registration of trade names paperwork, distinguished service awards lists, articles of incorporation, photographs, copies of the book History of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, 1915-60, and NACAA Educational Foundation applications and records.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The first annual meeting of the National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) took place in Chicago, Illinois, in 1916, during the International Livestock Exposition. The main purposes of the organization were set forth to include providing a means for the exchange of constructive ideas in county agent work and to establish high standards in the states regarding the qualifications and ability of women to be employed for Extension work.
Collection Number: 115
Earliest Date: 1921
Latest Date: 1992
Linear Feet: 8.75
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Natural Resources
Digitization Status: None

National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Records: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) Records contain documents, reports, and summaries of early efforts to improve the economic aspects of poultry production through breeding and disease control. Materials include newsletters, publications, and reports relating to the poultry industry and the early history of NPIP. Also included are tape recordings of NPIP conferences, and registered trademarks of NPIP emblems and poultry breeding farms.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) provides a cooperative industry-state-federal program for controlling certain poultry diseases.
Collection Number: 116
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1906
Latest Date: 1992
Linear Feet: 22.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Economics; Poultry
Digitization Status: None

National Turkey Federation (NTF) Records: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The National Turkey Federation (NTF) Records document the hiring of the Evans Advertising Agency, Salt Lake City, Utah, through 1982 to promote the consumption of turkey products. Records describe the history and objectives of NTF and contain photographs of the early officers; statistics, correspondence, promotional budgets; marketing research projects; recipes; photographs, slides, and audio, filmstrips, videotapes, plus hundreds of color photographs and transparencies, and recipes.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The National Turkey Federation (NTF) is an industry organization whose main objectives are to promote the consumption of turkey meat and to encourage turkey growers to gear their production to the market demands plus projected growth. The Evans Advertising Agency, Salt Lake City, Utah, was employed by the NTF through 1982 to promote the consumption of turkey products.
Collection Number: 117
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1945
Latest Date: 1983
Linear Feet: 94.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry
Formats: Audiovisuals; Photographs
Digitization Status: None

New York State Poultry Industry Coordinated Effort (SPICE) Records: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The New York State Poultry Industry Coordinated Effort (SPICE) Records consist of SPICE’s bylaws, articles of incorporation, subsequent amendments, and special studies. Records of organizations that became part of the federation are also included, as well as minutes, membership lists, officers, and financial records.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
The New York State Poultry Industry Coordinated Effort (SPICE) was incorporated in 1962 and formed as a federation of organizations representing the poultry industry in New York to improve their economic position.
Collection Number: 118
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1954
Latest Date: 1968
Linear Feet: 1.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry
Digitization Status: None

Charles E. North Papers

The Charles E. North Papers contain correspondence, articles, and reports on a variety of subjects related to the development of the dairy industry during the first half of the 20th century; records concerning his efforts toward gaining passage of milk legislation; patents on processes and devices related to the milk industry; and photographs and movies which reflect his efforts and determination toward upgrading the sanitary standards for processing milk.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Charles E. North (1869-1961), a physician, public health officer, inventor, and agricultural scientist, was a pioneer in the dairy industry and a leader in gaining public acceptance of milk pasteurization laws, developer of processes and devices, and author of many articles and reports related to the development of the dairy industry.
Collection Number: 119
Collection Group: Dairy Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1912
Latest Date: 1961
Linear Feet: 123.5
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Animal Science
Formats: Audiovisuals; Photographs; Posters
Digitization Status: None

Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection

The Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection is a special reference collection of over 150,000 American and foreign catalogs. It was begun in 1904 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) economic botanist, Percy Leroy Ricker. Its purpose now, as then, is to provide information regarding sources, prices, and descriptions of plant material offered for sale by U.S. nurserymen, growers, and seedsmen and, to a lesser extent, by foreign firms. The collection is now named for its longtime curator, Henry G. Gilbert (1930-1996). There are catalogs from the following countries: Africa, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Canary Islands, Ceylon, Chile, China, England, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland, Hungary, India, Italy, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Palestine, Poland, Russia, Scotland, South America, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Henry G. Gilbert (1930-1996) was a reference librarian at the National Agricultural Library (NAL), USDA. He worked at NAL for 27 years, beginning his tenure at the South Building in Washington, D.C., just prior to the library’s move to Beltsville, Maryland. In addition to working in reference, Gilbert was NAL’s librarian for the U.S. National Arboretum and the curator of the library’s collection of nursery and seed trade catalogs. Gilbert earned an associate of science degree in horticulture from the State University of New York at Farmingdale, a bachelor of science degree in entomology from the University of Georgia, and a master of library science degree from the Pratt Institute (New York). Prior to becoming a librarian at NAL, Gilbert worked for various agricultural organizations, including a position at the Port of New York as a USDA Plant Quarantine Inspector.
Collection Number: 120
Earliest Date: 1724
Latest Date: 2013
Bulk Dates: 1890-2003
Linear Feet: 1,129
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural History; Animal Science; Economics; Farms and Farming Systems; Human Nutrition; Plant Science
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: Portion of collection digitized

Nursery Associations Records Collection

The Nursery Associations Records Collection consists of the Letterpress Book (1886-1896) of the Western Association of Wholesale Nurserymen; Account Book (1926-1933) of the American Association of Propagating Nurserymen; Record Book (1937-1938) of the Pacific Coast Nursery Association; Treasury Records (1936-1938) of the Council of Eastern Nurserymen; and files of the American Horticultural Council.
Collection Number: 121
Earliest Date: 1896
Latest Date: 1941
Linear Feet: 4
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Economics
Digitization Status: None

USDA Official U.S. Standard for Grades of Wool

USDA Official U.S. Standard for Grades of Wool collection contains wool samples that document the 12 standards of wool established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the 1920s and the 13 standards for the 1940s. Standards are based on the fineness or diameter of the wool fiber. Samples show the maximum diameter/fineness of fiber for each of the grades. The collection includes includes wool standards for 1926, 1928, 1940, and 1966.
Collection Number: 122
Earliest Date: 1926
Latest Date: 1966
Linear Feet: 11.5
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: None

Nils Andreas Olsen Collection

The Nils Andreas Olsen Collection consists of journals, ledgers, and other account books of the Evans Hardware Company, Princeton, Minnesota, covering functions prior to 1920; records of Alfred Erickson, Washington County, Minnesota; minutes, payroll book, cash books, and other records of the Golden Valley Creamery Association and its member groups, a cooperative functioning from 1908 to 1910; crop reports and land development literature from the Great Plains states; some 19th century military post records; and other miscellaneous material.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Nils Andreas Olsen (1886-1940) was born in Herscher, Illinois. He graduated from Luther College, Iowa, in 1907; was a graduate student in history and economics at Johns Hopkins University in 1907-1908; received a master's degree in history and economics at the University of Wisconsin in 1909; was an instructor in history and economics at Muhlenberg College, Pennsylvania, 1909-1910; an instructor and graduate student in history and economics at Harvard University, 1910-1912; and a farm manager from 1912-1919. Olsen joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1919 as an assistant agricultural economist; he was promoted through the various economic branches and in May 1925, became Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Agricultural Economics. As Assistant Chief he was responsible for the development and coordination of the research work in the bureau and also continued to have charge of the Division of Agricultural Finance, directing the research and investigational work of that unit. On July 16, 1928, Olsen became Chief of the bureau. He retired in 1935.
Collection Number: 123
Earliest Date: 1855
Latest Date: 1936
Linear Feet: 25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Economics; Farms and Farming Systems

Deborah Griscom Passmore Watercolor Collection

The Deborah Griscom Passmore Watercolor Collection consist of an original manuscript "Flowers in Water Color: Wildflowers of America" by Deborah G. Passmore. There are 61 original, signed Passmore watercolors in this collection, as well as several signed sketches, unsigned works, and two watercolors signed by another artist, Dora Paxon. In the front of the manuscript, there is an anonymous, typescript biography of Passmore which is immediately followed by a brief, handwritten note detailing Passmore's death, and the signature of Carrie Harrison. (Her relationship to Passmore is unknown, but she may have been a botanist in the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture.) There are several newspaper obituaries pasted onto the end of the typescript, below Carrie Harrison's signature.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Born in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, on July 17, 1840, Deborah Griscom Passmore was educated in a Friends school and studied art under several famous artists including Thomas Moran. She also attended the School of Design and the Academy of Fine Arts in Philadelphia before coming to Washington, D.C., where, in 1892, she took an appointment with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Division of Pomology. She painted for many exhibits and flowers and fruits in watercolor became her specialty.
Collection Number: 124
Earliest Date: 1911
Latest Date: 1911
Linear Feet: 4
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Plant Exploration; USDA History
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: None

Loyal F. Payne Collection: American Poultry Historical Society Papers

The Loyal F. Payne Collection materials relate to the history and development of the poultry industry in the United States from the early 1800s through the 1950s. Catalogs, brochures, and production records of three early poultry-breeding companies describe increased egg production of chickens between 1942 and 1966. Papers include a copy of a manuscript by George F. Carter, “Pre-Columbian Chickens in America” (1968), and a list of early poultrymen in the United States between 1890 and 1925.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Loyal F. Payne (1889-1970) was professor and head of the poultry departments at the University of Massachusetts (1914-1921) and Kansas State University (1921-1954). He performed original research on chicken embryo mortality during incubation and was a founding member of the American Poultry Historical Society. In 1968, Payne was inducted into the American Poultry Historical Society's Poultry Hall of Fame.
Collection Number: 125
Collection Group: Poultry Science Collections
Earliest Date: 1890
Latest Date: 1970
Linear Feet: 2
Processed: Yes, view the finding aid online.
Subjects: Agricultural Organizations; Poultry
Digitization Status: None

Titian Ramsay Peale Manuscript

The Titian Ramsay Peale Manuscript is Peale's original manuscript "Drawings of American Insects; Showing Them in Their Several States, Together with Such Minute Insects as Require Investigation by the Microscope," which includes colored plates and drawings.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Son of painter Charles Wilson Peale, Titian Ramsay Peale (1799-1885) was an artist and naturalist.
Collection Number: 126
Earliest Date: 1796
Latest Date: 1796
Linear Feet: 0.25
Processed: Yes, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Entomology
Formats: Agricultural Art and Memorabilia
Digitization Status: None

Mary E. Pennington Papers

The Mary E. Pennington Papers include articles, government bulletins, and speeches to technical and commercial organizations on the handling, refrigeration, and distribution of perishables.
Historical or Biographical Sketch
Mary E. Pennington (1872-1952) was one of the nation’s most outstanding food and refrigeration scientists. A specialist in bacteriology and food science, she established the Philadelphia Clinical Laboratory in 1898, serving some 400 subscribing doctors. In 1905 she was named bacteriological chemist and chief of the Food Research Laboratory of the Department of Agriculture. During World War I, she took an active part in the War Food Administration under Herbert Hoover. In 1919 she left USDA to head the research department of the American Balsa Company. From 1923-1931 she was director of the Household Refrigeration Bureau of the National Association of Ice Industries.
Collection Number: 127
Earliest Date: 1895
Latest Date: 1952
Linear Feet: 1.25
Processed: No, contact Special Collections.
Subjects: Human Nutrition