NTE2ua61.xml Guide to the State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records 1940-1973 State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records Finding aid prepared by Michael Sampson Washington State University Libraries Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections © 2025 Finding aid encoded by Suzanne James-Bacon. 2025 Finding aid written in English. English. Finding aid based on DACS 2nd Edition ( Describing Archives: A Content Standard). Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections Archives 61 State College of Washington. Department of Agronomy State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records 1940-1973 9.5 Linear feet of shelf space 10 Boxes The State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records includes: correspondence; memoranda; minutes and proceedings of professional meetings; reports; newsletters; student and faculty information and research information; financial statements; vouchers; and reports on program progress. Collection materials are in English

Agriculture has always been part of Washington State University's curriculum. In the earliest days of the Agricultural College, Experiment Station, and School of Science of the State of Washington (later the State College of Washington, before becoming WSU), all of its disciplines were taught in one department, the Department Of Agriculture. By 1918 these agricultural disciplines including farm crops, soils, etc., had expanded enough to warrant the formation of separate departments. The Department of Farm Crops and Soils were consolidated into a Department of Agronomy in February 1928. This name was changed in November 1969 to Department of Agronomy and Soils.

The State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records includes: correspondence; memoranda; minutes and proceedings of professional meetings; reports; newsletters; student and faculty information and research information; financial statements; vouchers; and reports on program progress.

Series 1: Subject File, 1940-1972, contains records dating from 1940 through 1972, however, the bulk of the material deals with the period after 1963. It consists of correspondence, memoranda, minutes and proceedings of professional meetings, reports, newsletters, student and faculty information and research information. Major headings in the subject file include such topics as: Agronomy & Men (publication of the Agronomy Club), Extension Administration, annual reports of county Extension Agents, Outlying Testing Program of the Washington experimental stations, Pacific Northwest Fertilizer Conference, Pacific Northwest Crop Improvement Association, Pacific Northwest Plant Food Association, teaching and course content in the department, Washington State Crop Improvement Association, USDA correspondence, and wheat research.

Series 2, Tennessee Valley Authority files, 1951-1972, consists of correspondence, financial statements, vouchers, and reports on program progress. Through an agreement with Washington State University, the TVA sold fertilizer to Washington state farmers. These records document this agreement, the shipment of the fertilizer, and the farmers who participated in the program.

Series 3, Correspondence Files, 1965-1971, consists of correspondence to and from various agencies, including county extension agents, professional organizations, private industry, governmental departments, and individuals.

Principal correspondents are: B. Rodney Bertramson (former department chairman and Director of Resident Instruction), Harry A. Cosgriffe, Irving Dow (Extension Specialist), James C. Engibous (chairman of the department), C. B. Harston, A. G. Law (professor Of Agronomy), L. L. Madsen (Dean, College of Agriculture), C. Dawson Moodie (professor of Agronomy), Kenneth Morrison (Extension Specialist), J. S. Robins (Director of Research, College of Agriculture), Leland Streit, and R. M. Turner.

Organized into three series. Series 1 is arranged alphabetically by subject; Series 2 is arranged chronologically to be consistent with its original order; Series 3 is arranged chronologically by year and alphabetically within each year.

This collection is open and available for research use.

Copyright restrictions may apply.

[Item description]

State College of Washington Department of Agronomy Records, 1940-1973 (Archives 61)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

The records of the Department of Agronomy and Soils were transferred to the University Archives, Washington State University in June 1976 and March 1979 (UA 78- 16) according to the approved records schedules.

The records were processed by Michael Sampson from December 1980 to March 1981.

History of the Department of Agronomy and Soils, and related USDA programs, Washington State University, circa 1988-1989 (Cage 746)

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

State College of Washington. Department of Agronomy -- Records and correspondence Washington State University. Department of Agronomy -- Records and correspondence Washington State University. Department of Agronomy and Soils -- Records and correspondence Washington State University. Department of Agronomy Washington State University. Department of Agronomy and Soils Tennessee Valley Authority Agronomy -- Research -- Washington (State) -- Archives Agricultural extension work -- Washington (State) -- Archives Soils -- Analysis -- Research -- Washington (State) Agriculture Colleges and Universities Washington (State) Series: Subject File 1940-1972 1 1 Affirmative Action Plan 1972 1 item 1 2-4 Agricultural Chemicals 1969-1972 16 items 1 5 Agricultural Commodity Commissions Meeting 1966 7 items 1 6 Agricultural Economics 1970 4 items 1 7 Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service 1969 2 items 1 8-10 Agriculture, College of 1965-1966, 1970 28 items 1 11 Agronomy Advisory Board 1957, 1961, 1963-1965 35 items 1 12 Agronomy Base-Setting Meeting 1972 1 item 1 13-14 Agronomy Club 1966-1967 13 items 1 15-18 Agronomy & Men 1965-1966, 1968-1970 101 items 1 19 Alpha Zeta 1965 1 item 1 20 Alumni Rosters (and miscellaneous material) 1968-1970 14 items 1 21 American Society of Agronomy 1963 49 items 1 22 American Society of Agronomy Correspondence 1971-1972 6 items 1 23 Assistantships and Fellowships (requests) 1963-1964 7 items 1 24-25 Barley 1964, 1968, 1972 7 items 1 26 Blain, John--Ford Motor Farm Efficiency Award 1966 10 items 1 27 Bureau of Reclamation Meeting 17 March 1965 32 items 1 28-30 Careers in Agronomy 1964-1966 65 items 1 31 Castor Bean Production Potential 1965 1 item 1 32 Certified Seed Growers 1963, 1964, 1969 3 items 1 33 Columbia Plateau Conservation Council 1965 46 items 1 34 Columbia Plateau Resources Council 1965 30 items 1 35-36 Computing Center 1969-1972 8 items 1 37 Controlled Environment Facilities 1966-1971 6 items 1 38-41 County Agent's Letters, Re: Annual Reports 1964-1967 154 items 1 42-43 Course Outlines for Agronomy and soils 1968-1970 37 items 1 44-71 Crop Judging Team 1940, 1951-1972 248 items 2 72-73 Dry Pea and Lentil commission 1966, 1972 36 items 2 74 Dryland Research Review conference Feb. 15-16, 1966 14 items 2 75-76 Dryland Research--Lind Experiment Station 1965, 1967 21 items 2 77 Educational Policies Committee 1969 3 items 2 78 Enrollment Statistics 1970-1972 8 items 2 79 Environmental Science 1970-1971 7 items 2 80 EROS 1969 22 items 2 81-87 Extension Administration 1964-1970 188 items 2 88 Extension--Agronomy Research Program 1964 10 items 2 89 Extension--50th Anniversary conference 1964 5 items 2 90 Extension--Agronomy Personnel Annual Reports 1964 9 items 2 91 Extension--Annual Reports for Specialists 1964-1965 11 items 2 92-96 Extension Correspondence 1964-1968 505 items 3 97-99 Extension Correspondence 1969-1972 78 items 3 100 Extension Director's Memos 1965 5 items 3 101-102 Extension Agronomists Meeting 1964, 1966 23 items 3 103 Extension--Meetings & Minutes 1967-1972 45 items 3 104-107 Extension--Annual Plans of Work 46 items 3 108 Extension Publications 1966-1967 22 items 3 109 Extension Range Management Program 1964 10 items 3 110 Extension Research Report 1971 1 item 3 111 Extension Service Review December 4-8, 1972 14 items 3 112-113 Extension Training Sessions 1964-1966 19 items 3 114 Fertilizer--Aqua Humus 1963 43 items 3 115-117 Fertilizer Conference, Pacific Northwest Regional 1964-1966 163 items 3 118 Fertilizer Conference (1966), Rough Drafts of the Papers 30 items 3 119 Fertilizer Conference Proceedings 1968-1970 4 items 3 120 Fertilizer and Herbicides Needs--Agronomy Farm 1964-1965 21 items 3 121 Fertilizer Institute 1971 3 items 3 122-123 Fertilizer--Various Angles 1964-1965 11 items 3 124-131 Field Day 1964-1970 211 items 4 132 Field Day, Spillman Farm 1971 48 items 4 133 Field Days 1971 5 items 4 134-136 Forage Testing 1963, 1964, 1966 6 items 4 137-140 Foreign Correspondence and Visitors 1962-1969 76 items 4 141 Forest & Tree Fertilization 1965-1969 9 items 4 142-143 Genetics Program 1970, 1972 13 items 4 144 Goodyear SCS Awards 1964-1965 16 items 4 145 Grass Seed Production Meeting (Pendleton) 1971 7 items 4 146 Greenbug Threat to Wheat 1971 1 item 4 147 Herbicide Damage Research 1962-1963, 1968 10 items 4 148-150 Honors Program 1964-1972 14 items 4 151 International Executive Services 1968 1 item 4 152 International Programs 1968, 1970 3 items 4 153 Iowa State University Agricultural Travel Course 1965 34 items 4 154-156 Irrigation Experiment Station (Prosser) 1964- 1966, 1968 14 items 4 157-159 Jobs Available 1966 1968 1969 8 items 4 160-162 Job Placement 1964, 1969, 1971 17 items 4 163 Job Statistics an Graduates 1972 1 item 4 164-167 Junior Community College 1968-1971 60 items 4 168 Lewis County Grassland Council 1964 16 items 4 169-170 Library 1970-1972 10 items 4 171 Lime Conference-- November 16-17, 1965 21 items 4 172 Maquire Replacement for WSU Seed Laboratory 1966 9 items 4 173-175 Manuscript Reviews from other Departments 1967, 1971, 1972 24 items 4 176 Marketing Clinic: proposal and committee meetings 1966 33 items 4 177-178 Meetings and Conferences 1971-1972 10 items 4 179 National Wheat Institute 1970 8 items 4 180 News Bureau 1972 3 items 4 181-182 Northwestern Washington Research & Extension Unit 1965, 1968 2 items 4 183 Open House--College Of Agriculture 1966-1969 16 items 4 184 Osterli, Victor--Columbia Plateau Resources Council 1966 29 items 4 185-188 Outlying Testing--Central Washington 1963-1965, 1967 48 items 4 189-191 Outlying Testing--NoWestern Washington 1965-1967 51 items 4 192 Outlying Testing--Prosser 1969 5 items 4 193 Outlying Testing--Tree Fruit Research 1969 1 item 4 194 Outlying Testing--Washington State 1968 4 items 4 195-197 Outlying Testing--Western Washington 1964, 1965, 1967 23 items 4 198-202 Pacific Northwest Crop Improvement Association 1964-1966 69 items 5 203-208 Pacific Northwest Crop improvement Association 1967-1972 39 items 5 209-214 Pacific Northwest Plant Food Association 1964-1969 43 items 5 215-220 Pakistan 1964-1969 45 items 5 221 Patent Committee 1972 3 items 5 222 Pesticides 1968-1972 30 items 5 223 Plant Pathology, Department, of 1972 3 items 5 224 Potash Institute 1971 4 items 5 225 Potato Commission 1972 1 item 5 226 Projects in Agronomy & Soils--current status 1970 2 items 5 227 Prospective Graduate Students 1972 3 items 5 228 Prospective Undergraduate Students 1971 2 items 5 229 Publications 1965 5 items 5 230 Publication Plans of the Agronomy 4 Soils Faculty 1966 31 items 5 231 Recreation (Academic Preparation) 1968 1 item 5 231 Recreation (Academic Preparation). 1968 1 item 5 232 Resident Instructional Staff 1970 9 items 5 233 Rockefeller Foundation Fellowships 1969-1971 30 items 5 234 Safety 1969 9 items 5 235-236 Scholarships 1964-1965, 1972-1973 51 items 5 237 Science Development Proposal 1965 3 items 5 238 Search for Director Committee 1972-1973 15 items 5 239 Seed House 1972 3 items 5 240 Seed Lab (Seed Prices) 1972 3 items 5 241 Seed School, Idaho-Washington 1966 14 items 5 242-247 Short Courses 1964-1969 87 items 5 248 Space 1960-1965 55 items 5 249 Soil Chemistry Notes--correspondence 1957-1967 31 items 5 250 Soil Conservation Service--SCD's (Newsletters) 1964-1965 23 items 5 251 Soil Conservation Society of America 1963-1971 15 items 5 252 Soil Conservation Society of America--inland Empire 1964-1970 29 items 5 253-254 Soil Fertility Workers Conference--Central Washington 1964-1965 30 items 5 255 Soil Fertility Workers Conference- -Western Washington 1964-1964 10 items 6 256-263 Soil Improvement Committee 1964-1967 217 items 6 264 Soils Research Program 1968 21 items 6 265 Soils Seminar, University of Idaho & WSU 1963-1964 12 items 6 266-268 Soil Science Society of America 1965, 1968, 1969 9 items 6 269 Soil Survey--Seattle Conference 1964 33 items 6 270-274 Staff Memoranda 1965-1972 120 items 6 275-277 Stastics--Washington State Crop Reports 1965-1969 45 items 6 278-279 Student Evaluations 1967, 1969-1970 9 items 6 280 Study Council, President's 1968-1969 15 items 6 281-282 Sulphur Institute 1971, 1972 17 items 6 283 Symposia--Mutations, Barley, International Wheat Conference 1969 41 items 6 283-292 Teaching 1957-1959, 1968-1972 113 items 6 293 Training Sessions (Calendar) 1964 3 items 6 294-295 Tree Fruit Council 1969-1971 10 items 6 296 Tree Fruit Research Center (Wenatchee) 1968 2 items 6 297 Turf 1965-1971 26 items 6 298 Turf Association (Northwest Turfgrass Association) 1964-1972 14 items 6 299-300 Turf--Goss (Western Washington Research and Extension Center) 1960-1966, 1972 38 items 6 301 Turfgrass Research--Puyallup Extension Station 1972 10 items 6 302-304 USDA Correspondence 1965-1972 65 items 6 305 Varieties, Release of New 1966 2 items 7 306 Visitation--Dr. Hagsand (Sweden) 1965 6 items 7 307-309 Visitations--VIP 1968-1970 23 items 7 310-311 Visitors 1971-1972 25 items 7 312 Washington Association Of Soil and Water Conservation Districts 1965 16 items 7 313-314 Washington Association of Wheat Growers 1964-1971 36 items 7 315 Washington Mint Growers Association 1970 2 items 7 316-322 Washington State Crop Improvement Association 1965-1972 103 items 7 323-325 Washington State Soil Improvement committee 1967-1969 54 items 7 326 Washington Wheat Commission 1972 2 items 7 327 Water Holding Capacity of Irrigated Soils in the Columbia Basin--project proposals and other correspondence 1963-1965 42 items 7 328-329 Water Research Center 1971-1972 24 items 7 330 Weeds 1965 6 items 7 331 Western Farmers Association 1964-1965 2 items 7 332-336 Western Society of Crop Science 1965-1971 87 items 7 337-338 Western Society of Soil Science 1968, 1971 14 items 7 339-340 Western Washington Research and Extension Unit, Puyallup 1965, 1968 3 items 7 341 Western Wheat Improvement Committee 1971 2 items 7 342 Wheat Congress 1965 15 items 7 343 Wheat Council (WSU) 1971 13 items 7 344 Wheat--Miscellaneous 1965 11 items 7 345 Wheat Plotland Exemptions (WSU experimental plots) 1964-1965 13 items 7 346 Wheat Quality 1964-1965 23 items 7 347 Wheat Research Workers (Tri-State) Meeting 1965 21 items 7 348 Wheat Variety Commercial Milling Tests 1965 26 items Series 2: Tennessee Valley Authority Files 1951-1972 8 349 WSU Contract 1951 17 items 8 350-351 Tests, Sales and Research Programs 1953-1955 60 items 8 352 Correspondence July 1-December 1955 47 items 8 353 Finances 1955-1956 10 items 8 354-355 Correspondence 1956 191 items 8 356 Finances 1956-1957 37 items 8 357-358 Correspondence 1957 167 items 8 359 l-b-2 Programs 1957-1958 8 items 8 360-361 Correspondence 1958 149 items 8 362 Vouchers 1958 48 items 8 363 Finances 1958-1959 40 items 8 364-365 Correspondence 1959 127 items 8 366 Finances 1959-1960 33 items 8 367 Annual Report 1959-1960 1 item 8 368 Morrison's TVA File (fertilizer pamphlet, requisition form) 1960 7 items 8 369-370 Correspondence 1960 104 items 8 371 Cooperators (back to 1945) Report, 1961 20 items 8 372-373 Correspondence 1961 92 items 8 374 Correspondence January-June, 1962 52 items Washington Counties: 8 375-377 Cowlitz 1956-1959 30 items 8 378-382 Grays Harbor n.d., 1959 17 items 8 383 King 1959 6 items 8 384 Kitsap 1961 4 items 8 385 Lewis 1959 15 items 8 386-393 Pacific 1958-1961 60 items 8 394-397 Skagit n.d., 1958-1959 15 items 8 398-400 Snohomish 1959 22 items 8 401-402 Thurston 1959-1961 10 items 8 403 Wahkiakum 1959 6 items 8 404 Test Demonstration 1968-1971 14 items 8 405 Correspondence 1972 6 items Series 3: Correspondence Files 1965-1971 1965: 9 406-408 A-B 45 items 9 409 Buchanan, M. T. 14 items 9 410-413 C-F 30 items 9 414 Fischer, G. W. (Dean, College of Agriculture) 10 items 9 415 French, C. C. (president) 3 items 9 416-420 G-L 55 items 9 421 Ma-Mb 19 items 9 422 Madsen, L. L. (Dean, College of Agriculture) 12 items 9 423-424 Mc-Mz 21 items 9 425-428 N-R 42 items 9 429 Rasmussen, L. W. 4 items 9 430-435 S-Z 60 items 1966: 9 436-437 A-B 39 items 9 438 Buchannan, M. T. 13 items 9 439-442 C-F 32 items 9 443 Fischer, G. W. 4 items 9 444 French, C. C. 2 items 9 445-451 G-M 142 items 9 452 Madsen, L. L. 20 items 9 453-462 Mc-Z 120 items 1967: 9 463-464 A-B 42 items 9 465 Buchanan, M. T. 13 items 9 466-469 C-F 47 items 9 470 Fischer, G. W. 4 items 9 471-477 G-M 112 items 9 478 Madsen, L. L. (Dean, College of Agriculture) 20 items 9 479-483 Mc-R 42 items 9 484 Robins, J. S. (Director of Research, College of Agriculture) 17 items 9 485 S 35 items 9 486 Singleton, H. P. 1 item 9 487-490 T-Z 32 items 1968: 10 491-499 A-J 51 items 10 500-506 K-Z 59 items 1969: 10 507 A-N 28 items 10 508 O-Z 31 items 1970: 10 509 A-N 66 items 10 510 Robins, J. S. 13 items 10 511 O-Z 61 items 1971: 10 512 A-L 48 items 10 513 M-Z 39 items