Title: F. H. (Franklin Hiram) King papers
Inclusive Dates: 1870-1914

Creator:

• King, F. H. (Franklin Hiram), 1848-1911

Unique Identifier: uac23

Quantity:

• 3.66 cubic feet
• 5 half-letter document boxes, 3 letter document boxes, 1 record carton, 1 oversize box

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Madison. University Archives and Records Management

Abstract:

Franklin Hiram King (F.H. King) was an American agricultural scientist who worked as a professor of agricultural physics at the University of Wisconsin - Madison from 1888-1902. He then went on to work as the chief of the Division of Soil Management in the USDA Bureau of Soils in Washington, D.C. where his research findings uncovered that concentration in soil nutrients had a correlation with crop yield - a stance that conflicted with the bureau chief at the time. King was then forced to resign and spent his last years in Wisconsin where he wrote Farmers of Forty Centuries , among other publications. The F.H. King Papers (1870-1914) contain various publications by King including the Investigations in Soil Management (volumes 1-6), Rural Life in the Far East , and Farms of Forty Centuries , in addition to field notes on plant life and animals (specifically on lepidoptera) as well as the investigation of various silo structures.

Language: English

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-ua-uac23

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

 ↑ Bookmark this ↑

Franklin Hiram King (F.H. King) was an American agricultural scientist who was born 8 June 1848 on a farm near Whitewater, Wisconsin. He received his professional education and training at Whitewater State Normal School and then at Cornell University. He was a professor of agricultural physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1888 to 1902. While his interests varied F.H. King's work was mainly focused on soil physics and his career had the largest impact on the field of soil science. In the United States he has been called the father of soil physics. In 1902 F.H. King left Wisconsin to work for as the chief of the Division of Soil Management in the USDA Bureau of Soils in Washington, D.C. There his research found that the concentration of nutrients in soil solutions was correlated with crop yield - a stance that conflicted with the chief of the bureau - and King was forced to resign. King published those materials privately from the work he had conducted.

After his resignation from the Bureau of Soils King returned to Wisconsin where, for the last several years of his life, he spent his time conducting further research in agricultural physics. During this period he published several books, the most notable being Farmers of Forty Centuries, or Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea, and Japan , which contained his reflections on what is now known as organic farming or sustainable agriculture during a 9 month tour of Asia in 1909. The last chapter of the book was completed after his death in 1911 by his wife Carrie Baker King. Among these accomplishments King was also known for his designing of the cylindrical storage silo and is commemorated at the University of Wisconsin - Madison by King Hall, renamed such in 1934, which now houses the Department of Soil Sciences. He is also commemorated by the F.H. King Students for Sustainable Agriculture, a student organization which grows crops that are then given to community residents in order to raise awareness of sustainable farming and gardening.

The F.H. King papers span between 1870-1914 and contain published writings by King and others along with papers, articles, photographs, bound volumes of Investigations in Soil Management (volumes 1-6), and personal notebooks of King's field notes and research. The bulk of the collection is between 1870-1902 and contains Investigations in Soil Management volumes 1-6, papers on King's time at the Bureau of Soil, and typed manuscripts of King's Rural Life in the Far East and Farms of Forty Centuries . King's research notes contain information on soil and native plant and animal life, in particular lepidoptera (an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths), in addition to evaluations and notes on silos.

Arranged in original order.

This collection includes no known access restrictions.

Collection materials may be subject to laws governing rights. Researchers are solely responsible for determining the rights status of the materials they use. Permission may be required for some uses such as publication or reproduction.

Source unknown.

https://www.library.wisc.edu/archives/archives/use-the-archivevs/citing-archives-resources/

Soil scienceAgriculture.Agricultural physics

Box [891382502070]   1   folder 1	Notes and references of the literature of soils (1894), 1894
Box [891382502070]   1   folder 2	F.H. King field notes (1876), 1876
Box [891382502070]   1   folder 3	Paper on the industrial relations of our birds (1883), 1883
Box [891382502070]   1   folder 4	Mechanical analysis of soils No 2 (1870-1894), 1870-1894
Box [891382501990]   2   folder 1	Our friends among the lepidoptera (1870-1894), 1870-1894
Box [891382501990]   2   folder 2	Reports lepidoptera (1870-1894), 1870-1894
Box [891382501810]   3   folder 1	Research notes and reports (1870-1894), 1870-1894
Box [891382501810]   3   folder 2	Silo investigations, 1891
Box [891382501730]   4   folder 1	List of photographs for reproduction (1870-1890), 1870-1890
Box [891382501730]   4   folder 2	U.S. Department of agriculture - bureau of soils (1870-1890), 1870-1890
Box [891382501730]   4   folder 3	Rural life in far east by F.H. King (1870-1875), 1870-1875
Box [891382501730]   4   folder 4	Farms of forty centuries by F.H. King (1911), 1911
Box [891382501650]   5   folder 1	Investigations in soil management volume 1 (1902), 1902
Box [891382501650]   5   folder 2	Investigations in soil management volume 2 (1902), 1902
Box [891382501570]   6   folder 1	Investigations in soil management volume 4 (1902), 1902
Box [891382501570]   6   folder 2	Investigations in soil management volume 6 (1902), 1902
Box [891382501400]   7   folder 1	Investigations in soil management volume 5 (1902), 1902
Box [891382501320]   8   folder 1	Investigations in soil management volume 3 (1902), 1902
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 1	The Inquiring Mind-Various Editions (1 of 2), 1914
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 2	The Inquiring Mind-Various Editions (2 of 2), 1914
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 3	F. H. King Notebooks and Publications, 1900-1904
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 4	Fertility Investigations of F. H. King, 1904-1911
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 5	Papers by F. H. King, 1900-1910
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 6	Papers on Management and Productivity, 1890-1910
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 7	Lectures and Papers on Soil Management, 1890-1910
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 8	Detailed Outline of Proposed Investigations, 1903
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 9	F. H. King Files, 1903
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 10	Investigations in Soil Management Being Three of Six Papers, 1904
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 11	F. H. King Correspondence, 1903-1908
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 12	Dr. A. S. Alexander Publication, 1932
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 13	F. H. King Notes, 1900-1901
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 14	F. H. King Publications, 1904-1908
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 15	F. H. King Publications, 1905
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 16	F. H. King Publications, 1908
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 17	F. H. King Letterbook, 1904-1905
Box [891382502150]   9   folder 18	Wisconsin Farmers' Institutes Scrapbook, 1895-1914
Box [891382502230]   10   folder 1	F. H. King Order Book, 1908