1916 ORIGINAL, SIGNIFICANT MANUSCRIPT NOTEBOOK HANDWRITTEN BY ONE OF AMERICA'S PIONEERS IN BOTANICAL RESEARCH AND KNOWN WORLDWIDE AS 'TOMATO MAN'

On offer is a significant, historical original manuscript notebook handwritten by one of America's pioneering plant geneticists and researchers. The author Charles Emory Myers PhD is sometimes referred to as the 'Tomato Man' for his pioneering work in genetic research of tomatoes. After receiving his Doctorate at Cornell in 1922, he took a position at Penn State University where he taught plant genetics for 36 years. He was well-known to thousands of farmers across Pennsylvania for his work with tomatoes and is credited with developing many tomato varieties such as Penn State Earliana, the Matchum, the Penn State, the Pennheart, the Stemless Pennorange, and the Stemless Pennred tomatoes. Born in 1886, Myers passed away in 1957 at the age of 75. This notebook dates from 1916 while he was a doctoral student at Cornell. Some entries are dated but other notes are not. In it, he recounts visits to farms and institutes and comments on various experiments being done by other researchers: Arrived at Washington at 10:00 Aug 30. Spent afternoon at Arlington Farms Saw work of Tracy and Shoemaker Approx 1/4 acres [ ] variety tests of seed from Italy where tomato products are especially rich in color Canning test to determine these properties as well as to determine [ ] when canned at different stages of maturity. Aug 30, 1916] He visited the Bussey Institute, highly respected biological institute at Harvard University: Bussey Institute 9/8 Dr. East is working with tobacco. The quest of study is receiving most attention. Dr. Castle is working with rats, rabbits, mice and guinea pigs. Very interesting work. [Sept 8, 1916] These were two famous professors at Harvard and in fact Castles work was the basis of T.H. Morgan's 1933 Nobel Prize in Physiology. He refers to the Ontario College of Agriculture in Guelph, Ontario. This was the leading agricultural research facility in Canada, later becoming the University of Guelph: They have been growing and [ ] improved seeds since 1886. They had 62 men." Over his career, he impacted thousands of farmers and ultimately millions of consumers for agricultural products. Penn State University has a collection of his notes, lectures and papers. This is an excellent example of the observations collected by a serious researcher in plant genetics at that time and would be a valuable resource to researchers studying the development of a field which would become a multibillion dollar industry. Measuring 5.5 inches by 3.5 inches, this notebook contains 120 pages and is a little over half filled. The cover is detached from the body of the notebook but all pages are intact. The handwriting is a combination of ink and pencil and the inked notes are legible.; Manuscript; 24mo - over 5" - 5¾" tall; KEYWORDS: HISTORY OF, CHARLES EMORY MYERS; PENN STATE UNIVERSITY; HARVARD UNIVERSITY; HEIRLOOM TOMATOES; PENN STATE EARLIANA; MATCHUM TOMATO; PENN STATE TOMATO; PENNHEART TOMATO; STEMLESS PENNORANGE TOMATO; STEMLESS PENNRED TOMATO, BOTANY, AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE, FARMING, PLANT GENETICISTS, BUSSEY INSTITUTE, AMERICANA, HANDWRITTEN, MANUSCRIPT, DOCUMENT, LETTER, AUTOGRAPH, WRITER, HAND WRITTEN, DOCUMENTS, SIGNED, LETTERS, MANUSCRIPTS, DIARY, DIARIES, JOURNALS, PERSONAL HISTORY, SOCIAL HISTORY, HISTORICAL, HOLOGRAPH, WRITERS, AUTOGRAPHS, PERSONAL, MEMOIR, MEMORIAL, ANTIQUITÉ, CONTRAT, VÉLIN, DOCUMENT, MANUSCRIT, PAPIER ANTIKE, BRIEF, PERGAMENT, DOKUMENT, MANUSKRIPT, PAPIER OGGETTO D'ANTIQUARIATO, ATTO, VELINA, DOCUMENTO, MANOSCRITTO, CARTA ANTIGÜEDAD, HECHO, VITELA, DOCUMENTO, MANUSCRITO, PAPEL