The Bahamas and the First Extensive Expedition, 1931-1932, of the USDA to the Caribbean Islands
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15362/ijbs.v26i0.369Keywords:
Plant collectors, Bahamas, Scientific expeditionsAbstract
Sponsored by Allison V. Armour and led by David Fairchild, a plant hunting expedition organized by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) targeted the Caribbean Islands and the Guianas between December 31, 1931 and April 1, 1932. Three other agriculture scientists joined this plant collecting enterprise: namely, Leonard R. Toy (from University of Florida); and Harold Frederick and Palemon H. Dorsett (both from the USDA). Seven of the Bahamian islands were explored between December 31, 1931 and January 15, 1932 and between March 29 – April 1, 1932. This contribution focuses on the Bahamian itinerary followed during this voyage. Documents and photos housed in the US National Archives, and the Library and Archives of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden; herbarium specimens found in the US National Herbarium; and David Fairchild’s published accounts were the basis for our research. A total of 106 plant samples of plants (89 species), including herbarium specimens and material for the USDA were collected in this archipelago. Collections of an unidentified palm grown in the USDA Chapman Field Station, Miami resulted in the description of the Bahamian endemic Coccothrinax inaguensis in 1966 by Robert W. Read. The team failed to collect landraces of sea-island cotton and wild cotton species; even though, that was one of the main priorities for the team. Accounts of this visit were covered by two of Nassau’s newspapers: The Nassau Guardian and The Tribune.References
Acevedo-Rodríguez, P. & Strong, M. T. (2012). Catalogue of seed plants of the West Indies. Smithsonian Contributions to Botany, 98, 1-1192. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.0081024X.98.1
Correll, D. S. & Correll, H. B. (1982). Flora of the Bahama archipelago. Gantner Verlag.
Dorsett, P. H. (1936). Allison V. Armour Agricultural Expedition for the U.S. Department of Agriculture with the Yacht Utowana, visiting islands of the British West Indies and British and Dutch Guiana, Nov. 1931-Apr. 1932. Expedition Reports of the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of the Department of Agriculture, 1900-1938 (Vol. 74-75). U.S. National Archives, College Park, MD, United States.
Eneas, G. (2013). Agriculture in The Bahamas: Historical development. (2nd ed.). Media Enterprises.
Fairchild, D. (undated). List of inventory numbers of Section of Seed and Plant Introduction which refers to seeds and plants secured by Lathrop and Fairchild. Unpublished report. Archives of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Miami, FL, United States.
Fairchild, D. (1930). Exploring for plants: From notes of the Allison Vincent Armour expeditions for the United States Department of Agriculture, 1925, 1926, and 1927. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
Fairchild, D. (1934). Hunting useful plants in the Caribbean. The National Geographic Magazine, 66(6), 705-737. https://www.saba-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/National-Geographic-Dec-1934.pdf
Fairchild, D. (1948). Dr. Charles Sumner Dolley. The Fairchild Tropical Garden Bulletin, 4(1), 2. http://archive.fairchildgarden.org/portals/0/docs/CTPC/Javier/David_Fairchild_Papers/412_Dr_Charles_sumner_Dolley.pdf
Francisco-Ortega, J., Korber, N, Swan, M., Mosely, J., Freid, E. & Jestrow, B. (2014). Plant hunting expeditions of David Fairchild to The Bahamas. Botanical Review, 80, 164-183. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12229-014-9139-x
Francisco-Ortega, J., Santamaria, Y., Jestrow, B. & Swan, M. (2019). David Fairchild in the Caribbean: Five months (1931-1932) of plant hunting on board Utowana. The Tropical Garden, 74(1), 54-57. http://archive.fairchildgarden.org/Portals/0/TTG-Utowana-in-the%20Caribbean-Dorsett-Travelogue.pdf
Francisco-Ortega, J., Santos-Guerra, A., Mosely, J. L., Korber, N. & Swan, M. (2012). David Fairchild expeditions to the Canary Islands. Plant collections and research outcomes. Brittonia, 64, 421-437. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-012-9257-x
Francisco-Ortega, J., Swan, M., Cinea, W., Beaussejour, N., Latham, J. M. & Jestrow, B. (2018). David Fairchild’s plant hunting expeditions in Haiti. Huntia, 17, 5-35. http://www.huntbotanical.org/admin/uploads/02-hibd-huntia-17-1-pp5-35.pdf
Gifford, J. C. (1947). Charles Sumner Dolley. The Fairchild Tropical Garden Bulletin, 2(6), 3, 7.
Inspection of coconut palms: Trees affected by fungus disease, not bud rot. (1932, January 13). The Nassau Guardian. https://www.fairchildgarden.org/Portals/0/Anonymous%201932.jpg
Korber, N., Nassar, J. M., Mosely, J., Jestrow, B., Lewis, C. & Francisco-Ortega, J. (2016). The last plant hunting expedition of David Fairchild: Venezuela and Colombia (March–April 1948). Brittonia, 68, 170-186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12228-015-9406-0
Man dies on yacht off Rum Cay. (1932, January 8). The Tribune. https://archive.org/details/chavarria-et-al.-d.-fairchild-in-the-bahamas-intl.-j.-baha.-stud.-nassau-newspaper
Memorial service to Mr. Jordon Mott. (1932, January 13). The Nassau Guardian. https://archive.org/details/chavarria-et-al.-d.-fairchild-in-the-bahamas-intl.-j.-baha.-stud.-nassau-newspaper
Menace to coconut palms: Warning by visiting horticulturists. (1932, January 6). The Nassau Guardian. https://archive.org/details/chavarria-et-al.-d.-fairchild-in-the-bahamas-intl.-j.-baha.-stud.-nassau-newspaper
Moore, W. R. (1934). The golden isles of Guale. The National Geographic Magazine, 65, 235-264.
Mosely Latham, J. (2008). The Langlois’ legacy in palms. The Tropical Garden, 63(2), 44-45.
Porcher, R. D. & Fick, S. (2005). The story of sea island cotton. Wyrick and Company.
Read, R. W. (1966). Coccothrinax inaguensis- A new species from the Bahamas. Principes, 10, 29-35. http://media.e-taxonomy.eu/palmae/protologe/palm_tc_44415_P.pdf
Rose, P. E., Campbell, K. St. E., Commock, T., Korber, N., Latham, J. M., Swan, M. & Jestrow, B. (2017). David Fairchild’s expedition to Jamaica on board Utowana. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society, 144, 139-152. https://doi.org/10.3159/TORREY-D-16-00010
Ryerson, K. A. (1933). Plant material introduced by the Division of Foreign Plant Introduction, Bureau of Plant Industry, January 1 to March 31, 1932 (nos. 95552–98256). United States Department of Agriculture. Inventory, 110, 1-96. https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/pi_books/scans/pi110.pdf
Ryerson, K. A. (1934). Plant material introduced by the Division of Foreign Plant Introduction, Bureau of Plant Industry, April 1 to June 30, 1932 (nos. 98257–100467). United States Department of Agriculture. Inventory, 111, 1-93. https://www.ars-grin.gov/npgs/pi_books/scans/pi111.pdf
Stephens, S. G. (1976). The origin of Sea Island cotton. Agricultural History, 50(2), 391-399. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3741338
The ‘Utowana’ in the harbour. (1932, January 2). The Nassau Guardian. https://archive.org/details/chavarria-et-al.-d.-fairchild-in-the-bahamas-intl.-j.-baha.-stud.-nassau-newspaper
