USDA plant collectors' exotic expedition captured in historical photo albums - Treasures of the National Agricultural Library

Every web photograph is accompanied by a caption. These notations duplicate the handwritten originals, penned in black ink. "We don't know who wrote the captions for the photograph albums," notes Susan H. Fugate, head of the library's Special Collections, "but whoever did generally included the date, location where the photograph was taken, and the name of the plant or object shown."

"This like all the other pictures made [today]," one caption notes, "was made from under a Japanese Kasa or umbrella in the rain." Another explains, "Soja ussuriensis. Wild soy bean. View [of] the wild soy bean plants growing along road side on [the] outskirts of Heijo.... These plants appear different from wild soy bean found in Manchuria and Japan. The leaves are larger and somewhat different[ly] shapeld]."

An Astragalus plant that was thought to have good potential as forage for livestock in the United States was identified "... in the grounds of the Temple of Heaven. A nice lot of seed of this species was secured and sent ... It looks promising."

"... Ming Tomb, China" begins a caption from the "Ornamentals" volume. "These plants were collected outside of the tomb ... The flowers very much resemble violets both in shape and color. This plant should be good for rockeries in shady moist situations."

Soybeans Take Root

Today, soybeans are the second largest U.S. crop, worth more than $14 billion in 2002. Food uses that farmers envisioned are part of that market. What's more, studies are revealing the new benefits of soy compounds such as isoflavones.

Soy is also a key ingredient in livestock feed and is an important source of natural chemical compounds for consumer and industrial products. These include paints, plastics, stain removers, and cleansers.

Some of the credit for this current success can be attributed to the Dorsett-Morse expedition. The team brought back about 4,500 soybean specimens as well as another 4,500 specimens of interest. Some of the soybean plants had prized traits, such as resistance to harmful microbes that could otherwise devastate the crop.

Dorsett, born in Illinois in 1862 and educated at the University of Missouri, joined USDA in 1891. After more than a decade, he left the department to start his own business, then rejoined as a plant explorer in Washington, D.C., in 1909.

The Dorsett-Morse Oriental Exploration Expedition was an unqualified success and further enhanced Dorsett's reputation as a premier plant explorer. In 1936, he won the Frank N. Meyer Medal from the Council of the American Genetic Association for his outstanding work. The award was named in honor of another USDA plant explorer, who died under what some claim were mysterious circumstances while on a collecting expedition in China.

But that's another story.