Collection: Paul C. Marth and John W. Mitchell Papers

Content Description

The Paul C. Marth and John W. Mitchell Papers contain biographical information about both men; material gathered for the book Classic Papers in Horticultural Science; 66 of Marth's notebooks; Marth's 1942 Ph.D. thesis; reprints; and negatives of rose photographs. There is correspondence, mostly Marth's and very little of Mitchell's, as well as correspondence from 1987 between J. Ray Frank and Stephen Weller regarding Marth and Mitchell.

Dates

Creation: 1933-1993

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

In 1944, Paul C. Marth (b. 1909) and John W. Mitchell (b. 1905) developed a chemical plant growth regulator for use as a selective herbicide. The substance, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, commonly known as 2,4-D, allowed for selective broadleaf weed control in agriculture and turf management. Marth and Mitchell co-wrote a number of scientific articles.