Record Group 12 - College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Agricultural training was one of the primary missions of the College from its beginnings. In the 1872 Catalog, Agriculture is listed as one of 13 courses of study. It consisted of
lectures on: the selection, breeding, food, shelter, use, nature, and management of farm
animals; dairy farming; soils; plants; landscape gardening; floriculture; farm economics;
and building materials. Agriculture was one of the first four major administrative divisions
created when Deans were appointed to the academic departments. In 1907-08, there
was a School of Scientific Agriculture and a School of Agricultural Apprentices, but both
were subordinate to the Department of Agriculture that had its own Dean. In 1920-21,
the title was changed to School of Agriculture; then in 1964, it became the College of
Agriculture. The name was changed to the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in
1971.
Records
Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material
Mounted clippings concerning Agriculture from 1906-47 are located under classification "MA." From 1948-59, the mounted clippings are divided into the different Agriculture departments, with each department having a separate classification. The classifications are: Agronomy - MAAG; Animal Husbandry - MAAN; Animal Pathology - MAB.AP; Forestry - MAB.F; Biochemistry and Nutrition - MABio; Dairy - MAD; Agricultural Economics - MAHm; Horticulture - MAHr; Horticulture Garden Short Course - MAHrG; Institute of Rural Affairs - MAIn; Agriculture-Misc. - MAM; Poultry - MAP; Vocational Education - MAV; Plant Pathology and Plant Physiology - MAPP.
Department of Agricultural Economics
(RG 13/3)
Courses in Agricultural Economics began in 1921. In 1924, the Department of
Agricultural Economics was established. From 1929-33, the department was called
Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology, then it went back to just Agricultural
Economics from 1933-40. From 1946-48, it was the Department of Agricultural
Economics, Rural Sociology, and Statistics; then from 1948-65, it was Agricultural
Economics and Rural Sociology again. Since 1965, it has simply been the Department
of Agricultural Economics.
Newspaper Clippings, 1948-Present
While the University Archives does not contain any official records of this department, it does maintain newspaper clippings and publications. Mounted clippings, 1948-59, are classified under "MAEC." Prior to 1948, all clippings dealing with Agriculture in general are classified under "Ma." Vertical files of newspaper clippings and publications, 1960 to present, are maintained under the record group number.
Department of Agricultural Engineering
(RG 13/4)
Courses in agricultural engineering were offered as early as 1912. In 1919, it became a
department and the first Bachelors Degree in Agricultural Engineering was offered in
1921.
Records, 1920-50
18.8 cu. ft.
The papers in this collection give information on the development of the Agricultural Engineering Department. Included in the collection is correspondence (1920-31, 1935-39) of Charles Edward Seitz (Faculty member, 1920-55, and Department Head, 1937-42), J.A. Walls, and other faculty members. Other material includes: Farm Improvement Committee records (1921-25); Pyrotol records (1924-28), which includes agreements, correspondence, questionnaires, testimonials, and progress reports on this war surplus explosive distributed to Virginia for agricultural purposes; Irrigation material (1927-33); student records (1930-50); a random sampling of class tickets, grade sheets, course changes, transfers, and letters; American Society of Agricultural Engineers material (1931-33) consisting primarily of papers related to Seitz's year as president of the organization, including correspondence, reports, and minutes; Terracing (soil conservation) records (1934-35); Virginia Agricultural Engineer records (1936-37), including information about this student publication, requests and replies to prospective advertisers, etc.; and Engineering Program Tobacco Research at Oxford,
North Carolina, records (1950s), including project reports, equipment records,
photographs, coal research information, Battelle Memorial Institute reports (1946-47).
Also included in this collection are the records of a Farm Housing Survey done in 1934
by the department in cooperation with the Bureau of Home Economics and Agricultural
Engineering of the United States Department of Agriculture as a part of a national farm
housing Civil Works Project. The survey includes ten Virginia counties.
Another significant part of the collection is the correspondence of Earl Thomas Swink
(1935-40). Swink was a faculty member from 1935-70 and a rural electrification
specialist. Most of this material deals with the subject of rural electrification, including
exchanges between Swink and county agents, home demonstration agents, and county
residents.
In addition to the material in Swink's files, there are numerous other files located in this
collection dealing with rural electrification in Virginia. These files show the beginnings of
the program, projects undertaken, progress of the program, and the relationships
between the Agricultural Engineering Department, the state, and U.S. agencies
concerned with rural electrification.
Publications
- Research and Investigational Activities in Agricultural Engineering at Virginia
Polytechnic Institute (LD 5655 A3 B8 V34 no. 3 Dec. 1940)
Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material
Mounted clippings, 1948-59, are located under classification "MAEN." Mounted clippings under the classification "MA" cover all areas of agriculture from 1906-47. Newspaper clippings and printed material, such as brochures and circulars, from 1960-present are maintained under the record group number.
Department of Animal Science
(RG 13/6)
Courses pertaining to animal science were first offered in 1872. The first bachelor degree in animal science was given in 1921. From 1908-63 the department was known
as Animal Husbandry. Since 1963, it has been the Department of Animal Science.
Records, 1952-59
1.6 cu. ft.
This collection contains a significant amount of budget material (1952-60). Also included here are schedules of inspection for Animal Husbandry research projects, research reports, McCormick Farm report, project outlines, inventories of livestock and machinery, Dr. Kirkham's handwritten notes on Biochemistry, and a report of the Animal Industries Committee.
Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material
Mounted clippings, 1948-59, are located under the classification "MAAN." Mounted clippings under "MA" cover all areas of agriculture from 1906-47. Newspaper clippings and printed material, such as brochures and circulars, from 1960 to present are maintained under the record group number.
Department of Agronomy
(RG 13/5)
Agronomy courses have been given since 1872. The Department of Agronomy was
established in 1907 and the first Bachelor degree in Agronomy was awarded in 1921.
Newspaper Clippings and Printed Material
While the University Archives does not contain the official records of the Department of Agronomy, a collection of newspaper clippings and printed material is maintained. Mounted clippings, 1948-59, are located under classification "MAAG." Mounted clippings under classification "MA" cover all areas of agriculture from 1906-47. Newspaper clippings and printed material from 1960 to present are filed under the record group number.
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