Max C. Fleischmann College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station Records

 Collection
Identifier: AC 0239

Scope and Contents

Max C. Fleischmann College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station Records contains records of the Agricultural Experiment Station and agricultural issues. The majority of the collection is Experiment Station material. Included are annual reports, 1925-1949, and discontinued projects, 1953 - 1966. These records document the progress and results of various projects, the results of the research, and publication. They include graphs, photographs, and correspondence. In addition, there are 1943 Dairy Reports listing information on individual dairies; miscellaneous information on Nevada counties, 1921-1953; Nevada Economic Surveys of various areas, 1927-1941; and preliminary manuscripts, 1931-1942, created to "...catch and hold the knowledge and judgment of various study personnel..."; and miscellaneous publications and reports, 1927-circa 1942, on a variety of topics including economics, flood control, a history of grazing, irrigation, flood control, and Nevada communities. Some "Farm Management Bulletins" are included.

Also received with this collection were records of the United States National Resources Planning Board, Land-Use Planning Reports, Nevada, 1934-1935; Resettlement Administration surveys and reports, 1935-1936; Carson Indian Agency Land Acquisition Reports, 1935; Agricultural Planning Program in Nevada, 1936; and the Nevada Land-Use Planning Committee, 1938-1943.

In addition, this collection contains ledgers documenting ranching in Elko County, 1928-1944. These have the statement lists for sheep and cattle which include the physical factors, feed records, costs, receipts, taxes, and profit and loss. One ledger lists account for automobiles, man labor days, board and lodging, 1928-1930. The individual ranches were identified by number, but the key that identifies ranch by either location or rancher is missing.

Dates

  • 1921-1966

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

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 began soon after the establishment of the University of Nevada, thanks to the Hatch Act in 1887. The act provided an annual appropriation of $15,000 to each state to establish a nation-wide system of experiment stations to conduct agricultural research appropriate to their respective geographical needs. Limited funds for the new university in Nevada caused University President LeRoy Brown to serve as the Director of the Experiment Station in 1888, and its staff were university personnel. The Board of Regents of the University also served as the Board of Control of the Experiment Station. This arrangement continued through the administration of Brown's successors, Stephen Jones and Joseph E. Stubbs. The Experiment Station gained a 60-acre farm in Washoe County, and became a distinct unit supported by its own funds and staff in 1912. In 1913, Samuel B. Doten was appointed Director, a position he held until he retired in 1946.

After Doten's retirement, Charles E. Fleming became director until his retirement in 1960. During his period as director, the station merged with the College of Agriculture and the Cooperative Extension Service. After 1960, the Experiment Station came under the leadership of Ray E. Ely. In the 1950s, Dean of the College of Agriculture John Bertrand received funds from the Max Fleischmann Foundation of Nevada to construct new buildings for the College, which physically joined the College, Experiment Station, and Cooperative Extension.

In the latter half of the 20th century, subsequent leaders of the Experiment Station and the College turned their attention towards bringing instruction and programming into balance with the research efforts, and incorporated newer fields of expertise to the curriculum. The Experiment Station is now "directed toward the advancement of agriculture through biotechnological development, the preservation and management of natural resources, and the nutritional and social aspects of urban life." [note paraphrased from Experiment Station "History of Experiment Station" webpage https://naes.unr.edu/history.aspx]

Extent

7 Linear Feet (6 boxes, 5 volumes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

In 1887, when the Hatch Act provided federal funds, the Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station was created by the Board of Regents. From the beginning, there was an emphasis on experimental work and extension services. It expanded its services under the Adams Act in 1906, and in 1925 the Purnell Fund was established for the further endowment of the experiment stations. The collections contains records of the Agricultural Experiment Station and agricultural issues. The majority of the collection is Experiment Station material. Included are annual reports, 1925-1949, and discontinued projects, 1953-1966.

Arrangement

Arranged into the following series: 1) Annual Reports; 2) Discontinued Projects; 3) Dairy Reports; 4) Nevada Counties; 5) Nevada Economic Surveys; 6) Preliminary Manuscripts; 7) Miscellaneous Publications and Reports; 8) National Resources Board; 9) Resettlement Administration; 10) Carson Indian Agency Land Acquisition Reports; 11) Agricultural Planning Program in Nevada; 12) Land Use Planning Committee; 13) Map of Nevada Grazing Sections; 14) Oversized Materials

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Transferred by Don Kennedy in the College of Agriculture in 1988.

Separated Materials

The following publications were transferred to Special Collections as non-university publications.

  1. Soil Associations of the United States, USDA, 1938
  2. Water Facilities Area Plan for Sierra Valley Area California, USDA, June 1940
  3. Water Facilities Subarea Plan for Pahranagat Valley Subarea of Virgin River Watershed Nevada, USDA, November 1940
  4. Water Facilities Area Plan for Walker River Watershed Nevada and California, USDA, January 1941
  5. Soil Type Descriptions of the Agricultural Lands of the Carson Valley Soil Conservation District, Nevada, Soil Conservation Service, April 1, 1942
  6. Report of the Colorado River Commission of Nevada, 1935-1937
  7. A Description of the Procedures used by the Soil Conservation Service for Field and Compilation Work in the Elko County Range and Economic Survey, USDA, April 14, 1939
  8. An Economic Study of the Virgin Valley, USDA & University of Nevada Agricultural Experiment Station, 1941
  9. Agricultural Loans in Nevada, USDA, February, 1942
  10. Better Land Use in the Moapa Valley, Moapa Soil Conservation District & USDA, March 1944
  11. Range Lands of Northeastern Nevada Their Proper and Profitable Use, USDA, June, 1938
  12. Reconnaissance Report of Flood Control and Storage in Muddy River, Meadow Valley Wash and Tributaries, King & Malone Engineers, April 10, 1927
  13. A Graphic Summary of Grazing on the Public Lands of the Intermountain Region, Part I, USDA, January 15, 1940
  14. A Graphic Summary of Grazing on the Public Lands of the Intermountain Region, Part II, USDA, June 15, 1941
  15. Nevada State Planning Board, February 1937
  16. Report on Carson River Upstream Storage, Nevada State Planning Board, June 1939
  17. Report on Muddy River, Clark County Nevada, State of Nevada & Deputy State Engineer, January 1940
  18. Underground Leakage from Artesian Wells in the Las Vegas Area, Nevada, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1938
  19. An Analysis of National Forest Range Problems in Northeastern California, USDA, March 1942
  20. The Purnell Act, W.R. Dodson & E. W. Allen, 1925
  21. Farmstead Water Facilities Proposal for the State of Nevada, USDA, August 1941
  22. An Economic Analysis of Range Reseeding in Northern Nevada by Garland I. Wood, Thesis from the University of Wisconsin, 1958

Subjects

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Max C. Fleischmann College of Agriculture, Agricultural Experiment Station Records
Status
Completed
Author
Karen Gash
Date
Approximately 1999
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the University of Nevada, Reno. University Archives Repository

https://library.unr.edu/SpeColl
Contact:
Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center
1664 N. Virginia St.
University of Nevada, Reno
Reno NV 89557-0322 USA
775-682-5665
775-682-5724 (Fax)