Frank Leslie Duley Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: MS0383

Staff Only

Content Description

The Frank Leslie Duley Photograph Collection consists of 560 photographs with negatives that document field experiments on soil moisture plots of grass, wheat, legumes, and corn, among other crops. Some images also depict erosion, equipment used to harvest, and the structures of soils. Most photographs were taken in towns and cities in Nebraska, including Alliance, Berea, Chappell, Dalton, Gurley, Hastings, and Lincoln. In these locales, photos were taken at the Agronomy Farm, Bethany Field, Wakelin Field, Young Farm, and other farms owned by private citizens. Few were taken outside Nebraska, but some are labelled with towns in Texas, Oregon, Australia, Iowa, and Gainesville in Georgia.

The majority of the photographs were taken by Frank L. Duley, but other photos are attributed to J.C. Russel, J.T. Bregger, and E.C. Joy. Most photos have "Soil Convervation Service" stamped on the reverse. They are in black and white, and most photos retain their negative.

Dates

Creation: 1938 - 1962
Creation: Majority of material found within 1940 - 1951

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

F. L. (Frank Leslie) Duley (1888-1978) graduated from the University of Missouri in 1914 and earned his master’s degree there the following year. He completed his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin in 1923. He was a professor of soil science at Kansas State College from 1925 to 1933. He joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 1933 as a regional director for the northern Great Plains with the Soil Conservation Service. He became a senior conservationist with the Agricultural Research Service in 1938, while also serving as a professor of agronomy at the University of Nebraska. Duley was known as a pioneer in soil erosion studies. He was awarded the USDA Superior Service Award in 1955 for his role in developing the stubble-mulch system of farming. He retired from USDA in 1959, but continued working until 1964 as a member of a scientific team from Colorado State University serving at the University of Peshawar in Pakistan, under a U.S. Agency for International Development contract.

Total Size of Collection

5 boxes (Glass plate negative box) : 10-5/16 x 7-1/2 x 5-1/2 in.

3.13 Linear Feet (5 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Duley used a numerical system to index the photographs, from 111 (Grasses) to 741 (Clay). This arrangement has been retained and is the basis for the Subseries organization. Photographs are ordered numerically in their subseries, and for the most part, this is also chronological order. Numbers are not included in the index when they have no extant photographs.