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College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 28

Scope and Contents

The College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station records document the history and functions of the Agricultural Experiment Station (AES) at Purdue University. The collection consists of correspondence to and from the AES; administrative records including financial records, reports, documentation of AES’s experimental farms, contracts, and activities of the North Central Regional Hybrid Corn Technical Committee; research conducted by the AES; publications produced by the AES, or which it collected from the United States Department of Agriculture or other universities and agricultural experiment stations in the United States; photographs and negatives of experiments and activities performed by the AES; and materials related to the use of remote sensing in agriculture.

Dates

  • Creation: 1888 - 2001
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1898 - 1957

Creator

Access Information

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Some material in this collection are in the public domain, while other material copyrights are held by Purdue University. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Historical Information

The Purdue Experiment Station was first formed circa 1879, to give professors from the School of Agriculture a location to conduct their research. The primary areas of research in those early years were agricultural chemistry, economic entomology, experimental horticulture, and experimental agriculture.

Following a December 1885 meeting between the State Horticultural Society of Indiana and the Board of Trustees of Purdue University, additional cooperative Horticulture Stations were established in Bartholomew, Cass, Clay, Floyd, Gibson, Lagrange, Marion, Randolph, Union, and LaPorte counties. These stations were under the general management of the Purdue Experiment Station, and were used to test the growth of fruits and vegetables in different parts of Indiana, in order to determine which crops were best suited for cultivation is each region of the state. Additional stations were established across Indiana from 1886-1888 to conduct further research studies, including the effects of the Hessian Fly on crops.

On March 2, 1887, Congress passed the Hatch Act, requiring all land-grant colleges founded by the Morrill Act of 1862 to establish an “Agricultural Experiment Station” department. As a result, on July 1, 1887, the Purdue Board of Trustees converted the Purdue Experiment Station into the Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station (AES). Initially comprising a staff of four, by January 1888 it had doubled to eight, including the director, Chemist, Botanist, Entomologist, Veterinarian, Florist, and one staff member each for Experimental Agriculture and Experimental Horticulture.

Continuing the legacy started by its predecessor, the AES at Purdue conducts research in all areas of agriculture, with a focus on its applications for the state of Indiana. Subjects of research for the AES have included the acceleration of plant growth, the best fertilizers for use in Indiana soils, hybrid and inbred corn strain classifications and use, and diseases affecting crops such as the southern corn leaf blight. The findings of this research are published regularly in various formats, including articles in research journals, as well as in AES publications including the Station Bulletin and Station Circular.

On July 1, 1993, the AES was renamed to the Office of Agricultural Research Programs (ARP).

Extent

30.531 Cubic Feet (26 cubic foot boxes, one legal-size full-width manuscript box, two letter-size full-width manuscript box, three shoe boxes, three flat boxes, and five flat folders.)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into seven series by subject matter and material type.
  1. Correspondence
  2. Administrative Records
  3. Research
  4. Publications
  5. Photographs and Negatives
  6. Subject Files
  7. Artifacts

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The letter books and glass plate negatives are fragile and should be handled with care.

Acquisition Information

Materials transferred by Agricultural Communication via Christ Sigurdson and College of Agriculture on March 08, 2008. Additional materials trasnferred by Purdue University Libraries on May 14, 2008 and May 15, 2008; Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW) Archives via Denise Buhr on January 16, 2014; and the Department of Entomology via Steve Yaninek on August 20, 2015. A box of seeds was acquired in January 2014. A Soil Survey of Decatur County, Indiana was donated by Fred Whitford in 2023.

Related Materials

UA 20, Collection of Agricultural publications, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

UA 26, College of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service records, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

UA 44, College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture records, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

Processing Information

All materials have been housed in acid-free folders and acid-free boxes. Oversized materials have been kept in their original series; however, items requiring storage in a larger container have been moved to flat box. The original order of the materials has been retained whenever possible.

Related Names

Subjects

Collecting Areas

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station records
Status
Completed
Author
John Michael Foster, Scarlett Strong, Ben Aulbach, and William Niner
Date
2025-01-27
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Edition statement
Third edition. Collection description was first completed 2015-01-05.

Revision Statements

  • 2017-01-27: Collection identifier updated from UA 14.19 to UA 28 as of January 27, 2017.
  • 2020-05-06: Collection description updated by Adelle Rogers.
  • 2023-12-13: Soil Survey of Decatur County, Indiana added by William Niner.
  • 2025-01-27: Collection rehoused and rearranged by Scarlett Strong and Ben Aulbach. Three additions incorporated into the collection and descriptions updated by William Niner.

Physical Storage Information

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository

http://www.lib.purdue.edu/spcol
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839