Agricultural Experiment Station Reports

Collection

Identifier: 88-23

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

When received the records were very dirty and in no apparent order. University Archivist Karen Gash sorted out the original deposit and transferred to the Special Collections Department material which was not published by the Nevada Experiment Station, but which contained information on Nevada or the west.

Includes reports on Nevada agricultural economics and management. The reports discuss the following subjects: grazing and range management in northeastern California and Nevada; forest management in northeastern California; the state Planning Board; water supplies; flood control; irrigation; soil conservation; the Water Facilities Act; the Purnell Act; land grant colleges; Moapa Valley; Carson Valley; Elko County; the Colorado River Commission of Nevada; and the Carson, Muddy, Colorado, and Truckee Rivers.

Dates

1925-1944

Creator

Max C. Fleischmann College of Agriculture. Agricultural Experiment Station (Creator, Organization)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Administrative History

The Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station was created in 1887 by the University of Nevada Board of Regents when the Hatch Act provided federal funds for such institutions. From the beginning, there was an emphasis on experimental work and extension services. The Station expanded its services under the Adams Act in 1906, and in 1925 the Purnell Fund was established for the further endowment of experiment stations. For many years the Experiment Station was separate from the College of Agriculture but in the 1950's they were consolidated into the College of Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service.

A substantial part of the Purnell Fund was devoted to the study of economic problems of agriculture. In Nevada, problems in agricultural economics fell into two groups: those of the small farms of western Nevada and those of the great cattle and sheep ranches of eastern Nevada. Studies included investigations of cost of production, farm management, land use and values, and taxes. In its Bulletin series the Experiment Station reported the results of its investigations of farm needs and problems. The largest portion of each issue was mailed out to farmers, with additional copies going to research specialists and teachers in other experiment stations and colleges of agriculture, and to government agencies.

The staff of the Experiment Station also acted as consultants for other agencies and were involved or interested in a variety of agricultural and ranching issues. They worked in close cooperation with the Nevada Agricultural Extension Service, the Farm Bureau, and Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Entomology, the U. S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Plant Industry, and the U. S. Grazing Service.

Sources: Karen Gash, University Archivist. "Guide to the records of the Agricultural Experiment Station, AC 239." The University of Nevada. A Centennial History. James W. Hulse, 1974. p. 148-160. The Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, 1888-1943. S.B. Doten, Agricultural Experiment Station, Bulletin No. 163, 1943.

Extent

0.75 Cubic Feet (17 folders)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Includes reports on Nevada agricultural economics and management, including topics dealing with range and forest management in Nevada and northeastern California flood control irrigation the Carson, Truckee, Muddy, and Colorado Rivers grazing, the state Planning Board Water Facilities Act and the Purnell Act.

Arrangement

Arranged by title.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These reports were transferred from the College of Agriculture to the University Archives in January, 1988. Don Kennedy, representing the College, authorized University Archivist Karen Gash to pick up the records from a shed on Valley Road.

Related Archival Materials

Other Experimental Station records located in University Archives as collection AC239, University of Nevada, Reno Library, Reno, NV 89557.

Separated Materials

A number of maps and published reports were also transferred to the Department; the maps were incorporated into the map collection and the publications placed in the Special Collections stacks. The remainder of the original deposit was retained in the University Archives and accessioned as AC 0239. A guide is available in the Archives.