Reference Request
Finding Aids to Personal Papers and Special Collections in the Smithsonian Institution Archives
Record Unit 7278
Tracy, S. M. (Samuel Mills), 1847-1920
S. M. (Samuel Mills) Tracy Papers, 1895-1914
Historical Note
Samuel Mills Tracy (1847-1920), botanist, born in Hartford, Vermont, moved west with his parents, living first in Illinois and then Wisconsin. During the Civil War, Tracy served with the Wisconsin Volunteers for one hundred days. Upon returning home, he tried farming for one year and then enrolled at Michigan Agricultural College. Tracy received his B.S. in 1868 and his M.S. in 1871 from Michigan.
From 1871 to 1877, Tracy was involved with commercial horticulture work. In 1877 Tracy accepted the position of Professor of Botany at the University of Missouri, and left there to become the first Director of the Mississippi Experiment Station in 1887. Tracy's botanic interests centered on the taxonomy of grasses, plant breeding, and the adaptation of forage plants to the southern states. Among numerous articles and books, Tracy wrote Flora of Missouri in 1886.
Descriptive Entry
These papers consist of correspondence from colleagues and friends concerning the importation of cultivated plants to use for forage in the United States, botanizing in Alabama, receiving publications, and personal matters.
Index Terms
This collection is indexed under the following access terms. These are links to collections with related topics, persons or places.
Name
- Michigan Agricultural College
- Mississippi Agricultural Experiment Station
- Tracy, S. M. (Samuel Mills), 1847-1920
- University of Missouri
Subject
Physical Characteristics of Materials in the Collection
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Smithsonian Institution Archives, Record Unit 7278, S. M. (Samuel Mills) Tracy Papers