Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick (1870–1951) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 botanist
and horticulturist
who specialized in spermatophyte

Spermatophyte

The spermatophytes comprise those plants that produce seeds. They are a subset of the embryophytes or land plants...

s.
His main interest was cultivated fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

 tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

s and he published a number of volumes dealing with such fruits as cherries

Cherry

The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

, grape

Grape

A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

s, plum

Plum

A plum or gage is a stone fruit tree in the genus Prunus, subgenus Prunus. The subgenus is distinguished from other subgenera in the shoots having a terminal bud and solitary side buds , the flowers in groups of one to five together on short stems, and the fruit having a groove running down one...

s, and peach

Peach

The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...

es. Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick, A History of Agriculture in the State of New York (J.B. Lyon Co: Albany, NY, 1933) p.34.

Biography

Hedrick was born in 1870 in Independence

Independence, Iowa

Independence is a city in and the county seat of Buchanan County, Iowa, United States. The population was 5,966 in the 2010 census, a decline from 6,014 in the 2000 census...

, Iowa

Iowa

Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...

. He grew up in Northern Michigan near Harbor Springs and is the brother of Wilbur Olin Hedrick

Wilbur Olin Hedrick

Wilbur O. Hedrick started as a professor of Economics at Michigan State College in 1908.- Life :Born on April 3, 1868 in Elkhart, Indiana. He grew up in northern Michigan near Harbor Springs. He is the brother of Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick. He was married to Lucelia D. Baker...

. He attended Michigan State Agricultural College (now Michigan State University), receiving a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in 1893 and a Master of Science

Master of Science

A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...

 degree in 1895. He worked as Assistant Horticulturist at MSAC from 1893 to 1895, while studying for his M.S.

From 1895 to 1905, Hedrick taught botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

 and horticulture

Horticulture

Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...

 at Oregon Agricultural College (1895–1897), Utah Agricultural College (1897–1899), and Michigan Agricultural College (1899–1905). He became a horticulturist at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

New York State Agricultural Experiment Station

The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Geneva, Ontario County, New York State, is an integral part of the New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University. It is a mission-oriented experiment station with a strong emphasis on applied research...

 in Geneva

Geneva, New York

Geneva is a city in Ontario and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York. The population was 13,617 at the 2000 census. Some claim it is named after the city and canton of Geneva in Switzerland. Others believe the name came from confusion over the letters in the word "Seneca" written in cursive...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1905. While in Geneva, Hedrick completed a Doctor of Science

Doctor of Science

Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...

 degree at Hobart College

Hobart and William Smith Colleges

Hobart and William Smith Colleges, located in Geneva, New York, are together a liberal arts college offering Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts in Teaching degrees. In athletics, however, the two schools compete with separate teams, known as the Hobart Statesmen and the...

 in 1913. He continued to work at the Station, which he directed from 1928 onwards, until 1937, when he retired.

Hedrick was a Fellow of the New York State Historical Association

New York State Historical Association

The New York State Historical Association is a private, non-governmental educational organization founded in 1899 to encourage research, educate general audiences, and start a library and museum of manuscripts, artwork, and other objects associated with the history of New York State, USThe...

 and a member of the American Society for Horticultural Science

American Society for Horticultural Science

Founded in 1903, the American Society for Horticultural Science in Alexandria, Virginia is "the largest, most visible organization dedicated to advancing all facets of horticultural research, education, and application."...

 and American Pomological Society

American Pomological Society

The American Pomological Society, founded in 1848 to foster the growing of fruit and the development of new varieties, is the oldest fruit organization in North America.-References:...

.

During his lifetime, he authored or co-authored more than a dozen publications, which are "still frequently consulted", on the subjects of pomology

Pomology

Pomology is a branch of botany that studies and cultivates pome fruit, particularly from the genera Malus, Prunus and Pyrus belonging to the Rosaceae. The term is sometimes applied more broadly, to the cultivation of any type of fruit...

 and horticulture. His monograph

Monograph

A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...

s on fruits, including publications such as The Pears of New York (1922), "have become classic references on the fruit cultivars of the period".

Hedrick died in 1951.

Publications

• Grapes of New York (1908)
• Plums of New York (1911)
• Cherries of New York (1915)
• Peaches of New York (1917)
• Manual of American Grape Growing (1919)
• Sturtevant's Notes on Edible Plants (1919)
• Cyclopedia of Hardy Fruits (1921)
• The Pears of New York (1921)
• Systematic Pomology (1925)
• Small Fruit of New York (1925)
• The Vegetables of New York (1929)
• History of Agriculture in the State of New York (1933)
• Fruits for the Home Garden (1944)
• The Land of the Crooked Tree (1948)
• Grapes and Wines from Home Vineyards (1945)
• A History of Horticulture in America (1950)

External links