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Purdue University. Agricultural Experiment Station

 Organization

Biography

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).

Citation:
UA 28, College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station records, Purdue University Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries.

Found in 6 Collections and/or Records:

College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 44
Scope and Contents

The College of Agriculture, Administration of the College of Agriculture, Records (1869-2009; 124.95 cubic feet) consists of administrative books, correspondence, financial records, faculty minutes, reports, and other materials relating to the administration of Purdue University’s School of Agriculture.

Dates: 1869-2009; Other: Date acquired: 03/08/2008
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

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...
Dates: 1888 - 2001; Majority of material found within 1898 - 1957
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

College of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 27
Scope and Contents

The College of Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, Records (1879-2011; 18.1 cubic feet) includes correspondence, field notebooks, photographs, reports, slides, and other materials documenting the work of the department.

Dates: 1879-2011; Other: Date acquired: 08/02/2008
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

Howard W. Gregory papers

 Collection — Box 1
Identifier: MSF 153
Scope and Contents The Howard W. Gregory papers contain documents pertaining to Gregory's work at Purdue University as head of the Purdue Dairy Department. The collection includes records of Purdue Dairy Extension, dairy production and processing reports, information on teaching and research, and professional writings and speeches. This collection may be useful to researchers interested in advances in dairy science, the development of dairy processes, procedures, and industry in the first half of the 20th...
Dates: 1922 - 1960
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

Glenn M. Smith papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 542
Scope and Contents This collection consists of the papers of Glenn Smith, Purdue faculty member known as the "Father of Golden Bantam Cross Corn." Papers primarily relate to agriculture, in particular growing, breeding, and developing corn. Types of materials include farm bulletins, newspaper articles and clippings, correspondence, awards and certificates, and printed material. Includes letters to Smith from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station bulletins on subjects...
Dates: 1933 - 1954
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections

University Photographic Services photos

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 78
Scope and Contents This collection is comprised primarily of negatives and occasional photographs that were produced and maintained through the work of Purdue University’s Photographic Services division, which provided photography services on campus. Subjects vary widely and include faculty and staff, student activities, major athletic and cultural events, campus buildings, and department-related materials. Most of these images were produced between the mid-1940s and the mid-1980s. In some cases, negatives are...
Dates: 1839-2004; Majority of material found in 1910-2000
Found in: Purdue University Archives and Special Collections