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Rare books find appropriate new homeOklahoma Most Habitat ReStore shoppers in Stillwater are looking for recycled household goods or building materials, not rare books. But recently, Eric Stafne, a fruit and nut crops Oklahoma Cooperative Extension specialist, heard about two old horticulture books in the display case at the store. "This series of books is one of the seminal contributions to the horticultural sciences," he said. Stafne, an Oklahoma State University department of horticulture and landscape architecture assistant professor, who was surprised to find the two books from a reference series on fruit by U. P. Hedrick, said the volumes are rare and usually only found in reference libraries. They were reports published annually by the State of New York Department of Agriculture. "My interest grew as I discovered that one of the books was The Grapes of New York. Many of the varieties discussed in The Grapes of New York have an Oklahoma tie, because they were either discovered in Oklahoma or had Oklahoma-originated species in their parentage," Stafne said. "Even though this book was published in 1908, it still contains relevant information. This book will give us great insight into the grape growing past of Oklahoma beyond what we currently know. Both of the works, The Grapes of New York and The Cherries of New York, are part of a larger series that cover fruit crops," Stafne said. "Although the name implies a narrow focus for New York, many of the varieties discussed were and continue to be grown across the country," he said. The books were originally part of the private library of Leonard G. Herron, the father of Leonard G. Herron Jr. and were placed with Habitat ReStore after being located in the latter Herron's home north of the OSU campus prior to it being torn down. The Senior Herron, a graduate of Oklahoma A & M College, moved his family to Idabel where he was the McCurtain County agricultural agent and later operated a lumber business. Leonard G. Herron Jr. was a longtime Stillwater resident, Oklahoma A & M graduate, World War II veteran, charter member of Stillwater's National Association of Homebuilders and later president of the Stillwater Board of Realtors. He died in 2006. "I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to purchase these great historical pieces of plant science literature," Stafne said. 5/5/08 Date: 4/28/08
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