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Records of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station

 Record Group
Identifier: RG-25-01

Scope and Content

This collection contains primarily farm surveys and reports, which comprise Series I. Survey books. Subjects covered include cattle, crop rotations, insecticides, orchards, etc. There are also statistical surveys on farm operations and productions in ten Virginia counties: Albemarle (1935, 2 vols.); Appomatox (1935-36, 4 vols.); Floyd (1937, 2 vols.); Grayson (1930-31, 8 vols.); Halifax (1939, 7 vols.); Henry (1940, 7 vols.); Nansemond (1932, 17 vols.); Norfolk (1931-32, 7 vols.); Pittsylvania (1933-36, 42 vols.); and Russell (1935, 9 vols.). Also included are 9 volumes of poultry surveys for several Virginia counties (1931-32) and a Truck survey done in 1938.

The second series comprises files dated 1903-1947. Materials include weather reports, annual reports of investigations of the field laboratories, and a large amount of documentation of various research projects related to crops, orchards, animals, and more at different Agricultural Research and Extension Centers (ARECs) across the state. Some of these records are from the earliest established ARECs at Chatham and Appomattox. The series also includes the correspondence of A. W. Drinkard, Jr., director of VAES from 1916 through 1946, with state entomologist and plant pathologist W. J. Schoene, professors and administrators at VPI, agricultural organizations, and others.

Additional unprocessed boxes are not on this list but are available to view. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.

Dates

  • 1903 - 1947

Creator

Language of Materials

The materials in the collection are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials.

Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction. Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Administrative History

The Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) was established in 1886 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and funded by the federal Hatch Act of 1887 for the purpose of providing practical and useful information on agricultural and scientific subjects. Originally, it was organized into three departments: agriculture, botany and entomology, and chemistry. VAES was responsible for several agricultural research stations and laboratories throughout Virginia. On July 1, 1966, the research activities of the Agricultural Experiment Station, as well as the Engineering Experiment Station, were combined under a University-wide Research Division. In 1978, the VAES moved from the Research Division to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

Extent

84.84 Cubic Feet (117 boxes)

Abstract

The Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station (VAES) was established in 1886 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly and funded by the federal Hatch Act of 1887 for the purpose of providing practical and useful information on agricultural and scientific subjects. The collection includes 114 surveys books for ten counties in Virginia from 1931 through 1940, as well as files dated 1903-1947 of weather reports, annual reports of investigations of the field laboratories, and a large amount of documentation of various research projects related to crops, orchards, animals, and more. There is also the correspondence of A. W. Drinkard, Jr., director of VAES, with state entomologist and plant pathologist W. J. Schoene, professors at VPI, agricultural organizations, and others.

Arrangement

The Records of the Virgnina Agricultural Experiment Station are organized by type of material:

  • Series I. Survey books, 1931-1940, which are organized by county and survey type:

    • Subseries I. Albemarle County, 1935
    • Subseries II. Appomattox County, 1935-1936
    • Subseries III. Floyd County, 1937
    • Subseries IV. Grayson County, 1937
    • Subseries V. Halifax County, 1939
    • Subseries VI. Henry County Land Utilization Study, 1940
    • Subseries VII. Nansemond County, 1932
    • Subseries VIII. Norfolk Dairy Survey, 1931-1932
    • Subseries IX. Pittsylvania County, 1933
    • Subseries X. Russell County, 1935
    • Subseries XI. Truck Survey, 1938
    • Subseries XII. Poultry Survey, 1931-1932


  • Series II. Files, 1903-1947, which are organized in loose chronological and subject order. Correspondence files are subdivided alphabetically.

Physical Access

Please note: This collection is located in off-site storage and may require 2-3 days notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.

Source of Acquisition

Series I of the Records of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station was transferred to Special Collections and University Archives in 1955. Series II was transferred in February 1982 and December 1984.

Appraisal

Duplicate copies of the Quarterly Bulletin of the Virginia State Crop Pest Commission were weeded from the collection.

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Records of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 (https://creativecommons.org/share-your- work/public-domain/cc0/).

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of Series II was completed in May 1985. The processing, arrangement, and description of Series I was commenced and completed in November 2019. Additional description was completed when converting the paper inventory of Series II to an electronic finding aid in January 2020.

Additional unprocessed boxes are not on this list but are available to view. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for more information.

Title
Records of the Virginia Agricultural Experiment Station, 1903-1947
Status
Completed
Author
Caroline Harvey, Student Worker, LM Rozema, Archivist, and Special Collections and University Archives Staff
Date
2020 (CC0 1.0)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech Repository

Contact:
Special Collections and University Archives, University Libraries (0434)
560 Drillfield Drive
Newman Library, Virginia Tech
Blacksburg Virginia 24061 US
540-231-6308