Frederick Vernon Coville Records on Blueberries

Collection

Identifier: MS0413

Staff Only

Frederick Vernon Coville blueberry records / box 1 (1907-1908)

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Frederick Vernon Coville blueberry records / box 2 (1909)

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Content Description

The Frederick Vernon Coville Records on Blueberries document the U.S. Department of Agriculture's earliest crosses of commercial blueberries. Frederick Vernon Coville, along with George M. Darrow, were the first breeders in the blueberry program. The research notes in this collection are primarily Coville's and include a complete description of blueberry plant parentage and field note data. There are daily handwritten entries about growing plants in research fields and separate notebooks with descriptions of blueberry plant variety characteristics and crosses.

Dates

Creation: 1907-1938

Conditions Governing Access

Contact Special Collections for access.

Biographical Sketch

Frederick Vernon Coville (1867-1937) worked for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as assistant botanist from 1888 to 1893, and as botanist from 1893 to1937. He was instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. National Arboretum in 1927. He was the first scientist to discover the importance of soil acidity on the growth of blueberries, as well as the impact of cold temperatures on plants. Through his early work on crossing blueberry plants, he was responsible for the commercial production of blueberries.