Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture 
Society Notes
October 2018

November Meeting Focuses on Land-Use Planning and Farmland Conservation
Tom Daniels, one of our members, will bring a wealth of knowledge about land-use planning and land conservation to our November meeting at the Union League.
 
PSAP Members Journeyed Back in Time this October
Society members visited Lancaster, PA in October with a trip to Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum.
 
RECENT NEWS
Farming Notes – September 2018
Thanks to Society member Duncan Allison for providing us with this get set of information each month.   MORE>
September Luncheon Packed Full of Great Presentations and Wine Tastings
Jerry Hatfield gave one of finest reviews of climate change while also covering the research being done to respond to the situation in agriculture .   MORE>
NY Times: Finding Lost Apples and Reviving a Beloved Cider
George Washington was among the many fans of Newark cider, a long-missing treat now being recreated by a former ad man on a mission.   MORE>
Soybeans: A Little History
Long before veggie burgers and soy lattes were fashionable, Kin was sent on a mission by the United States government to uncover the benefits of the soybean to Americans. MORE>
James Mease Chair to the Vet School University of Pennsylvania

PSPA recently donated the James Mease Chair, owned by PSPA to the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. 

James Mease (1771-1846), a 1792 graduate of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, was instrumental in the revival of the Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture in 1805. He served as its Secretary, Vice-President, and President. An authority on rabies, he was a member of the Society committee formed in support of veterinary lectures, and along with Benjamin Rush, delivered a series at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School on the importance of studying diseases in animals.

MEMBER UPDATES
PSPA Member Database Updated

The Philadelphia Society for Promoting Agriculture’s Memoirs VI, printed in 1939, contains a consolidated list of PSPA members from 1785 to 1939. In it, the Committee on Activities details the sources from which the names were gathered, notably the Germantown Telegraph, which provided “a number of names elected” in the second half of the nineteenth century.

One of the current projects of the Historical and Library Committee has been to list names of members elected since 1939. An initial start was made by simply typing a list, but Lynne Farrington, who curates the Society’s collections at the University of Pennsylvania, saw the limits of such activity. Instead, Lynne designed a spread sheet that would list name, city, date of election, type of membership, and office held. Then she assigned the project to a student, Ryan Morgan, who in a short period of time completed a consolidated list of all PSPA members since 1785.  

The Society expresses its appreciation to Lynne and Ryan for a project that will be of great use in the years to come.



How to Use the PSPA Library Online 

Last year the Historical and Library Committee worked on some reorganization of the online access to the PSPA Library and set-up some clear directions for use. On www.pspaonline's website, click “Resources,” then “ Library and Archive .” You will see a collection of options. Click “ How to Search the Penn Libraries Online Catalog ” and the instructions for use will come up. If you wish to learn more about the collections, on the website, click “Resources,” then “Library and Archive,” then “ Introduction ."