HUNTER, Herbert v1

HUNTER_HERBERT_v1

THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON HISTORICAL MANUSCRIPTS Report on the correspondence and papers of HERBERT HUNTER (1882-1959) agricultural scientist 1898-1959 deposited at the Institute of Agricultural History, University of Reading Reproduced for the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre (CSAC 24/8/77) y THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON HISTORICAL MANUSCKIPTS Quality House, Quality Court, Chancery Lane, No. 77/44 London WC2A iHP 1977 All rights reserved CSAC 54/8/77 CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC ARCHIVES CENTRE Supported by the Royal Society, the British Library and the Council of Engineering Institutions Report on the papers of Dr. Herbert Hunter (1882 - 1959) Compiled by: Jeannine. Alton ° Harriot Weiskittel 1977 Deposited in the Archives of the Institute of Agricultural History, University of Reading H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Description of the collection The papers were received from Hunter's daughter, Miss Margaret Hunter, who attempted to assemble as complete a collection as possible from the various institutions with which her father was associated during his career. She provided a biographical account of his life and work (Item 1) and much helpful information about the arrangement of the papers. Hunter graduated in 1903 from the University of Leeds where he was one of the first two students to take the B.Sc. in Agriculture (Items 12, 17). He was then appointed officer in charge of the barley investigations being conducted by the Department of zri- culture and Technical Instruction in Ireland (Items 12-14, 18, 41). It was during his work in Ireland that Hunter developed the Spratt-Archer variety of barley, which was for many years the most widely grown malting barley in Britain (Items 13, 25, 26). In 1919 he was appointed Head of the Plant Breeding Division of the Ministry of Agricu!ture for Northern Ireland, and in 1923 moved to Cambridge to join Sir Rowland Biffen, T.B. Wood and F.L. (now Sir Frank) Engledow in the Plant Breeding Institute of the University School of Agri- culture (Items 5, 23). Hunter became Director of the P.B.f. in 1936, and, during the Second World War, also served as Director of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany in Cambridge. After his retirement from the P.B.I. in 1946, Hunter served as President of the Council of the N.1.A.B. for three yeurs, 1951-53. With the exception of a few notebooks and files (Items 17-24) and some scientific Cultivation, Utilisation. brewing industry during the first half of this century (Item 30). notes. Most of the collection is of a biographical and personal nature. Of special inter- est ore Hunter's own reminiscences of colleagues and friends (Section B), the papers and correspondence (Items 25, 27, 29) little remains of Hunter's original working records and correspondence relating to his proposed visits to Russia (Items 6, 28), and his file of press cuttings which document the dramatic changes in plant breeding, crop production and the are those which appear on the manuscripts. Dr. Colin M. Kraay, Keeper of the Heberden Coin Room, Ashmoiean Museum, Item 32 is the manuscript (unpublished) of Hunter's Icst book, Oats: Botany, Oxford, kindly identified and described the casts of ancient coins in Item i1. All items are manuscript unless identified otherwise; titles in irverted commas H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Contents of the collection A. Biographical and personal B. C. D gE. Rerainiscences Netebooks and working papers Correspondence Publications Index to the correspondents H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Biographical and personal (Items 1-11) Biographical note of Hunter's life and career by his daughter, Miss Margaret Hunter. Typescript summary of career. Obituary notices and tributes. Appreciation of Dr. Hunter by F.R. Horne as published in The Journal of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany and typescript (annotated) by Horne of notice for publication in The Times. Letters of sympathy received after Hunter's death. Certificate of the M.Sc., Leeds \iniversity Certificate of the D.Sc., Leeds University 1959 1924 1925 Printed appeals published in Cambridge duriny the General Strike. 1926 Copy of Hunter's contract of employment as principal assistant with the P.B.1. (1934) and of his letter to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food re pensions (1956). 1934 1956 Papers connected with propesed appointment of Hunter as 1942-44 Agricultural Attaché at the british Embassy, Moscow (the appointment was not confirned by the Soviet government): correspondence with the Ministry for Agriculture and Fisheries, typescripts of 'Food and Farriing in the USSR" and ‘Points for Agricultural Attachés ic USSR', data on production of crops in the UK 1936-42, summary of agricultural cooperation with the USSR before the war, copy of Soviet Monitor (see also litem 28). National Institute of Agricultural Botany: photographs of colleagues, List of subscribers to presentation made to Hunter on his retirement 1946 from the Plant Breeding Institute, by brewers, maltsters, and seed trade. of judging, of Hunter's porirait; N.1.A.B. on the growing of barleys and on the varieties of spring wheats and spring barle;s. printed leaflets published by with the casts. letter from Guinness asking Hunter's permission to name their new barley strain in his honour. Article des- cribing Hunter's work in developing Spratt-Archer and the history of the new Hunter variety. . barley. were used as illustrations by Hunter (figs. 11-14) in his book The Barley Crop, pullished in 1952 (see Item 40), The casts were fully listed and described by Dr. C.M. Kraay; this list is included Invitation to garden party at Buckingham Palace. Photograph of conference in Sweden, at Svalov Institute. One box of plaster casts of ancient coins depicting grains. The coins “‘Hunter' Barley: 1950 n.d. 1959 3 photographs of Hunter H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Reminiscences (Items 12-16) "Professor J.R. Campbell’: typescript (3 pp.) character sketch of Campbell describing his unorthodox methods of lecturing and his later work as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Agriculture in Ireland. biographical account of Hunter's arrival in Ireland. The sketch also provides an auto- Letter from Campbell, 19 January 1920, written to Hunter on his 1920 move to Northern Ireland. "John H. Bennett': typescript (18 pp.) character sketch of Bennett who was director of the experiments in barley growing con- ducted by the Irish Department of Agriculture and the Guinness The sketch gives not only a portrait of Co. at Ballinacurra. Bennett as a supervisor and friend but also an autobiographical account of Hunter's own work in Ireland - the tours of inspection of the fields, seed selection, propagation of stock. etc. that eventually led to the development of the Spratt- Archer variety of barley. Letter from Bennett to Hunter, 23 November 1927, setting out his recollection of the development of Spratt-Archer (see also Item 26). One letter from Mrs. E. Bennett thanking Hunter for writing down his memories of her husband. Photograph of Mrs. Bennett and iiunter at Ballinacurra. work in selecting seeds for the barley irials. "Redcliffe Nathan Salaman': typescript (3 pp.) of obituary notice written by Hunter. One letter from Jackson, 20 December 1926, congratulating Hunter on his new book on barley. “Howard Crosby Gregory': typescript (4 pp.) notes and draft "Arthur Jackson': typescript (first page only) account of Jackson's of appreciation of Gregory (probably not written by Hunter). Printed copy of memorial appeal, of which Hunter wus chairman. the movement to start a national theatre in Ireland. Letter from Hunter to his daughter, 7 May 1956, re his memories of George Moore, Horace Plunkett, George Russell and H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Notebooks and werking papers (Items 17-24) Notebook labelled inside front cover 'H. Hunter. Preston-on- Eaglescliff R.S.O. Co. Durham. Agricultural Tees. Notes’. Contains Hunter's undergraduate lecture notes on soil (see his description of his first university lecture in his sketch of Professor Campbell, Item 12),:elomestic animals, drainage, seeds, fertilisation, etc. _ grasses which Hunter pasted in the book are siill intact. Hunter was one of the first two students to faikke the B.Sc. in Agriculture at Leeds and the first to receive «a D.Sc. in Agri- culture (see also Item 19). Specimens of various Notckhook, labelled on inside cover with name, sontaining a ‘Record of Nursery Experiments carried out at Charleston, Ballinacurra, Co. Cork in 1905'. Notes om preparation of plots, cultivation, varieties of barley sown, measurements and observations of crop, record of results. Part Ii of the notebook contains notes on 'Ctharacter of Rachillae of different varieties' and on 'Brist#¥es on vein pairs' with lists of data and descriptions of warious varieties of barley. "Improvement of the Barley Crop', bound copy of thesis presented Inserted ancient world File labelled ‘Varieties of Barley' containing: Notebook (not labelled) containing records for 1926-32 of sowings, 1926-32 growths, crossings etc. of various varieties «¥ barley. - notes on Montcalm Barley by R. Summerby - typescript appendix taken from Beaven's bok, Barley - 1 p. misc. notes by Hunter on varieties of barley in the by Hunter for the D.Sc., Leeds University, 1925. at the back of the book is a photocopy (from: The London Corn Circular, 1927) of the text of a lecture deliwered by Hunter at the Corn Exchange Co. on improvements wf the barley crop. the Min. of Ag. & Fisheries’ (no other dae iis given). of work and future development of the Plant {Breeding Institute, Cambridge’, 26 pp. typescript plan of work ffor the next five years, annotated by Hunter on the cover 'Suksmitted to V.E. Wilkins at the time he was in charge of Resecarch Institutes at ~ lists of U.S.A. barleys - plates and drawings of barley - 3p. of misc. typescript re hybridisation, ‘American barleys qualitative figures' containing extensive datta gathered from: trials. Plant Breeding Institute, Cambridge: 'Memorandium on the programme File labelled 'Barley Trials' and ‘Barley. Latin Square and 1945-47 H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 24. Experimental Borley Plots: ledger (17" x 21") containing a map of Ireland showing location of plots, 1938; of barley varieties; summary sheets and results from 1901-15, 1919-57 large-scale plots; iypescript 'notes' 1938 and 1948, to accompany and explain the data. botanical drawings H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Correspondence (Items 25-29) 2 letters from W.S. Gosset, 26 July 1909 and 10 April 1910, re Hunter's resulis with the Warminster, Glasnevin, Archer and Goldthorpe varieties of barley (see also obituary notice of Gosset in Item 30). 1909-10 Correspondence with the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Dublin, and carbon copies of various letters by Hunter re the credit due to Hunter for the origin of Spratt-Archer (see also Item 13). Correspondence from E.S. Beaven, 1926, 1939, 1941, discussing 1926, 1939, Hunter's new book on barley, the affairs of the Plant Breeding Institute and the National Institute for Agricultural Botany, Spratt-Archer, the chessboard system, a new cereal developed by Beaven, and other matters of mutual interest. 194} One letter from Alice Beaven (daughter) re editing of her father's Typescript (14 pp.) review book on barley after his death. by Hunter of this book, Barley. Obituary notice of Beaven, written by Hunter and published in Nature. ‘ Correspondence from N.1. Vavilov re Hunter's proposed visit (The visit was cancelled.) Miscellaneous correspondence (presented in date order ): Dimitriew, Alexis (2 cards) Malzew, A. Bell, G.D.H. (see also Item 22) Long, H.C. Helbaek, Hans (6 letters) Pesola, Vilho (3 letters) Multamaki, K. Horne, F.R. 2 to Russia in September 1939. See also newspaper clipping (1948) in Item 21 reporting dir Henry Dale's resignation from the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in protest over Vavilov's dismissal as Director of the Lenin Academy of Genetics and the subsequent appoint- ment of Lysenko (see also Items 6, 33). 1958 1930 1937 1947 1949 1951-52 1952-53 1952 H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 © Publications (Items 30-43) One extensive file of newspaper cuttings, 1920-54, 1958-59, containing articles written by Hunter, reviews of his pub- lished work and of his achievements in plant breeding. file also contains articles of general agricultural interest which Hunter kept for his own information and | photograph taken at field inspection of the barley crop in Ballyreagh, Newtownards. The One filo of typescripts for lectures or published work (includes copy of a bibliography for 1939-50): ag erate ‘Bold Jo!in Barley Corn,' The British Farmer, September 1955, annotated typescript. "Boiunical Purity in Cereals,’ Journal of the Ministry of Agriculture, September 1944, duplicated typescript. 1953 1955 1944 "The Science of Malting Barley Production’, 25 pp. type- G74P59 script, with 4 p. summary. "Identification of Barley Varieties Grown in the British Isles by Examination of Threshed Grain’, 2 heavily annotated typescripts. 'Seed and Rates of Seeding’, typescript for lecture. Offprints of Hunter's work: Varieties of Barley.' "Visit to U.S.A, and Canada, April and May 1948': type- meetings, inspection of equipment script report of visit; and fields, lectures. Oats: Botany, Cultivation, Utilisation: manuscript and typescript "The Influence of Environment on the Yield and Quality of "Relation of Ear Survival to the Nitrogen Content of Certain of Hunter's last book (never published). Correspondence between Miss M. Hunter and Nicholas Polunin, editor of the World Crops Books series for Leonard Hill Ltd., re possible posthumous publication. c.1956 *Malting Barley', one of a series of five lectures on ‘Barley and Malt' given at Sir John Cass College, 1956-57. Certain Varieties of Malting Barley' read at meeting of the Institute of Brewing, London, December 1947). {paper originally "The Barley Crop! (paper originally read at Second Crop 1954 ‘Malting Barley', paper on barley production in Norfolk. Conference, Cambridge, December 1953). 1956-57 H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 34. Offprinis/translations of others' work: "Studies on the Origin of Cultivated Plants’ by N.1. Vavilov, presented to Hunter by the author. ‘On the Genetic Nature of Winter and Spring Varieties of Plants’ by N.1. Vavilov and E.S. Kouznetsov: carbon typescript of English translation. Books by Hunter Oats: Their Varieties and Characteristics. A Practical Hand- book for Farmers, Seedsmen ond Students (Vol .I1 of the Practical Farming Series, ed. Sir Joh Russel!, published by Ernest Benn Ltd.) with notes and annotations by Hunter. The Barley Crop. published by Ernest Benn Lid., London, annotated by Hunter. _A Record of Some Recent Investigations, Crop and Stock Improvemeni (The Farmer and Stock-Breeder Manuals series, ed. H.C. Long, published by Ernest Benn Lid., London), with A.3. Bruce. Recent Advances in Agricu!tural Piant Breeding, with H. Martin Leake, published by J. and A. Churchill, London. review by John H. Parxer sent to Hunter is taped into the back of the book. A Crop Varieties: varieties of cerecls, flax, potatoes, beans and Horace Plunkett by Mcrgaret Digby, published by Basil Blackwell, The Barley Crop. _ A modern comprehensive account of all aspects of barley growing, Crosby Lockwood and Son, London, annotated by Hunter. See also Item 11. field peas (volume in rhe Agricultural Series, ed. H.G. Sanders, published Ly E. and F.N. Spon Ltd., London). Press, Oxford. Oxford. origins and work of the Department of Agriculture and Technical Instructios. in Ireland, 1899-1907. The Bread of Our Forefathers by Sir William Ashley, Clarendon Pioneers of Fertility by Crichton Porteous, published privately. Chapter V (pp.84-116) is a description of the Books from Hunter's library, H. Hunter CSAC 54/8/77 Index to the correspondents Adams, George Baskett, R. G. Beaven, Alice C. Beaven, E. as Bell, George Douglas Hutton Bennett, Esther Bennett, John H. Campbell, J. R. Dimitriew, Alexis Felton, B. I. Gavin, Sir William Gosset, W. 5; Harrison; T.. = J. Helbaek, Hans Hinchctiff, Joseph H. Lea, Herbert long, Ta. Cs Malzew, A. Read, W.-H. Jenkin, T. J. Horne, Frank R. Jackson, Arthur Multamdki, K. Manktelow, A. Kerslake, R. Trevor Jackson, G. P. Bs. Vavilov, Nicholas Ivanovitch Pesola, Vilho A. Robertson, G. Scott Polunin, Nicholas Nugent, Chester Wilton, Ean Ve