Collection Guide
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Inventory of the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records
AR-012
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Table of contents
Creator:
University of California, Davis. Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
Title: Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records
Date (inclusive): 1915-2014
Extent:
67 linear feet
Abstract: The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records contain subject files, correspondence, files related to
the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, and farm building plans. The collection also contains an index of images and
associated negatives that were photographed by the department from circa 1915-1951. Subjects of the images include research
by the department, various types of agricultural equipment such as: plows, harrows and rollers, cultivators, subsoilers, and
harvesting and haying machinery, as well as agricultural buildings such as: barns, silos, corn cribs, poultry houses.
Physical location: Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
Repository:
University of California, Davis. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Davis, California 95616-5292
Collection number: AR-012
Language of Material: Collection materials in English.
In 1915 J.B. Davidson, head of the Agricultural Engineering Department at Iowa State College, was asked by Dean Thomas F.
Hunt to come to Davis to create a professional Division of Agricultural Engineering. L.J. Fletcher, who replaced Davidson
in 1919, persuaded the College of Engineering Mechanics at Berkeley to open an option in Agricultural Engineering. Starting
in 1924, instruction in this program took place at Berkeley for the first, second, and fourth years while a summer course
and third year instruction were given at Davis. The first B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in agricultural engineering were granted
in 1926, 1927, and 1960, respectively.
In 1928 the division moved into its new agricultural engineering building, named Walker Hall in 1959 in honor of Harry B.
Walker, who succeeded Fletcher in 1928. Under Walker's direction a farm crop mechanization program was initiated, starting
with funds granted by the American Sugar Beet Association in 1938. The mechanization program involved many of the division's
engineers for the next 45 years.
In 1948 Roy Bainer succeeded Walker as division head. Under Bainer's leadership further expansion of the division included
projects on pest control and animal environment, while crop mechanization projects were broadened to include lettuce, grapes,
onions, cantaloupe, celery, and asparagus. Perhaps the largest and longest-lived project began in 1953 on the mechanization
of canning tomatoes, directed by Coby Lorenzen in collaboration with Jack Hanna from the vegetable crops department.
In 1951 the offering of instruction in basic science and mathematics through the new College of Letters and Science enabled
agricultural engineering students to take three years of course work at Davis and one year at Berkeley, although the degrees
were still granted by Berkeley. In 1962 the College of Engineering was founded at Davis under Dean Roy Bainer and in 1963
began granting agricultural engineering degrees. Research broadened to include farm safety; ergonomic studies of farm workers;
farm produce handling and processing; and aquacultural, forest, and food engineering. In 1973 the Farm Practices Program was
transferred to agricultural engineering to offer students practical experience. A new facility completed in 2000, the Western
Center for Agricultural Equipment, was designed to house the farm practices program as well as to provide laboratory space
for other engineering activities.
In 1992 further changes in the department's mission developed with the name change to Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
Biological and Agricultural Department history by Norman B. Akesson and David J. Hills in
Abundant Harvest: the History of the University of California, Davis, (2001) by Ann F. Scheuring.
The Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records contain subject files, correspondence, files related to
the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, and farm building plans.
The collection also contains an index of images and associated negatives that were photographed by the department from circa
1915-1951. Subjects of the images include research by the department, various types of agricultural equipment such as: plows,
harrows and rollers, cultivators, subsoilers, and harvesting and haying machinery, as well as agricultural buildings such
as: barns, silos, corn cribs, poultry houses.
The image index is arranged according to a classification scheme devised by J.B. Davidson, the first chair of the department.
Please note that this finding aid does not describe the entire index to images. Descriptions for additional portions of the
index are forthcoming.
This collection has two different arrangements: one for the paper records and one for the image index and negatives. The paper
records are described in a pdf document which can be accessed via the "Additional Collection Guides" link on the right hand
navigation bar. The image index, which can be found in the document below, is arranged according to a classification devised
by J.B. Davidson, the first chair of the department.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Stirniman, E. J. (Edward James), 1892-1974
Fairbank, J. P. (James Partridge), 1891-1978
Long, J. D. (James Dewey), 1899-1996
Neubauer, L. W. (Loren Wenzel), 1904-
Moses, B. D. (Ben Duncan), 1882-
University of California, Davis. Department of Biological & Agricultural Engineering--Archives
Agricultural engineering--Study and teaching (Higher)--California--Davis--History
Collection is open for research.
Sara Gunasekara processed this collection with assistance from student employees Megan Peterson, Maria Wong Chang, and My-Hanh
Nguyen.
Transferred from the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering.
[Identification of item], AR-012, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering Records, Department of Special Collections,
General Library, University of California, Davis.
All applicable copyrights for the collection are protected under chapter 17 of the U.S. Copyright Code. Requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the physical items. It is not intended to
include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.