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Archives 30
Co-operative Extension Service.
Extension Agronomy Specialist (Morrison)
Records, 1955-1969

The records of the Washington State University Extension Agronomy Specialist were placed in the Washington State University Libraries by Kenneth J. Morrison in June 1978 (UA 78-17). The collection was processed in March 1979 by Pat Graham Pidcock.

ORGANIZATIONAL SKETCH

The origin of the Co-operative Extension Service can be traced to a 1913 act by the Washington State Legislature which created the Bureau of Farm Development and provided for agricultural experts to assist farmers. The federal Smith-Lever Act of 1914 lent financial support to the state's program and placed the director of Extension Services directly under the auspices of the land grant college.

In 1917 President E.O. Holland appointed the first agronomy extension specialist whose duties were to act as disseminator of agricultural research data to the county agents and the public. In 1950 the present incumbent, Kenneth J. Morrison, came to Washington State University to fill the position of agronomy extension specialist. Born in 1921, Morrison received his BA in 1948 from Kansas State University, and his MA and PhD from Purdue in 1950 and 1967 respectively.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The records of the Agronomy Specialist consist almost entirely of the correspondence of Kenneth J. Morrison. Although there are only two series, the first (general correspondence) contains the bulk of the material. Of the two subseries within series one, the first is organized alphabetically by correspondent for each year 1961 through 1969. The second subseries is a subject file of correspondence and memoranda arranged alphabetically by topic which spans the years 1955 through 1969. The second series, consisting of correspondence between Morrison and county agents throughout Washington State, is arranged by county within annual groupings from 1961 through 1968. Correspondents, while including media and industry representatives, county agents, and agricultural specialists, consist principally of home gardeners and farmers concerned with plant identification and extension publications.

CONTAINER LIST

Box	Folder	Description	# of Items
SERIES 1: GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE
1	1-23	A--Z, 1962.	365
	24-46	1963.	225
	47-70	1964.	230
2	71-92	1965-1966.	480
	93-116	1967-1968.	530
3	117-138	1969.	255
	139	Bertramson, B.R., 1965-1967.	25
	140	Correspondence, 1967-1969.	10
	141	Cosgriffe, H.A., 1964-1966.	12
	142	Cytogenetics, 1955.	1
	143-144	Duplicates, 1963-1964.	55
	145	Fertilizer Conference, 1963.	1
	146	Genetics, 1958-1963.	15
	147	Herbicide Advisory Council, 1963.	2
	148	Isotopes, 1959-1960.	3
	149	Land File, 1963-1964.	5
	150-151	Memoranda, 1962-1963.	15
	152-155	Memoranda to Agents, 1965-1969.	80
	156	Outlying Testing- Central Washington, 1963.	5
	157	Outlying Testing- Western Washington, 1963.	10
	158	Plant Materials Center, 1963.	2
	159	Seed House, 1963.	5
	160	Storage Space, 1963.	5
	161	Scholarships, 1963.	25
	162-163	Soil Improvement Committee, 1963.	25
	164	Tri-State Wheat Researchers Conference, 1963.	1
	165	Washington State Crop Improvement Association, 1963.	5
	166	Wheat Plotland Exemptions, 1962-1963.	15
	167	Wheat Quality, 1963.	10
SERIES 2: COUNTY AGENT CORRESPONDENCE (by county)
	168-201	1962.	185
4	202-239	1963.	160
	236-266	1964.	175
	267-297	1965-1966.	215
	298-323	1967-1968.	235