SUMMARY of EXPEDITION # 2 Jack Harlan's Second Seed Collecting
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JACK R. HARLAN EXPEDITIONS – EXP. # 2 – IRAN, USSR & ASIA – 1960, 61 Trans Transcribed and Compiled by Harry V. Harlan, with help from Adi Damania, and others. SUMMARY OF EXPEDITION # 2 Jack Harlan’s second seed collecting expedition was to be a great trek across the Middle East, Asia and finally Ethiopia - interacting with the faculty at Alemaya University. Dr. Harlan was looking for and collecting seeds from several grasses, primarily three grasses which were introgressing in the wild: Bothriochloa ischaemum (l.) Keng, which he called “Bish”, Bothriochloa intermedia complex, which he called “Bint” and Dichanthium annulatum complex, which he called “D. ann” or “Dann”. He was interested in their hybridizing behavior at different altitudes. This was his reason for venturing into Kashmir and other mountainous regions. Dr. Jack R. Harlan flew out of the US on April 1, 1960 and spent 6 days in Europe getting ready. He began his actual expedition on April 8, 1960 in Iran at an Archaeological Expedition led by Robert Braidwood. He sojourned 74 days there and then went up to the USSR for 10 days; then traveled to Afghanistan, where he spent 26 days, traveling from west to east, collecting seeds of the grasses Bish, Bint and Dan. Then he went on to West Pakistan for 43 days, including an excursion into the Northwest Tribal areas, hunting his grasses. He even went into Pakistani administered Kashmir and Jammu area, still collecting. From West Pakistan he went to India for 94 days, total. While there he ascended into Kashmir again (the India administered side) for 7 days, came back down and ventured into the southern part of India. The last stop of this marathon was Ethiopia, at which he stopped for a total of 42 days, on his way back to Europe. On his return trip back home he stopped in Israel and Lebanon for 9 days as a tourist and returned to Stillwater on February 2, 1961. Harlan was gone from his home in Stillwater a total of 307 days (10 months and one day). This was, at times, rough going. He was traveling essentially by himself; however, he knew or met some people along the way. He met a young British couple, Les and Liz Picard, who seemed to be just traveling around looking for adventure. Harlan enlisted their help, and especially that of Les, to lighten his load as he traveled. Actually, the couple had a great time in their travels and were very helpful to Jack Harlan. Below is a series of hyperlinks under the heading “1960-61 Timeline”, which will take the reader to the various phases of the journey. You may need to use a “control/click” to activate the hyerlink and there is a “Return” available at the beginning & end of each section which will bring you back to the Timeline. There are also some hyperlinks which will take the reader to various illustrative websites which will explain some of the sights that Dr. Harlan saw. When you are finished with the website, just close it and you should return to the transcript. Enjoy! 1 JACK R. HARLAN EXPEDITIONS – EXP. # 2 – IRAN, USSR & ASIA – 1960, 61 Trans 1960-61 Timeline: 2 day flight to Europe: April 1-3, 1960 5 days in Europe: April 3-8 74 days in Iran: April 8-June 21 10 days in USSR: June 21-July 1 26 days in Afghanistan: July 1-27 43 days in Pakistan: July 27-Sept. 8 94 days in India: Sept. 8-Dec. 11 To Aden: Dec. 11-13, 1960 42 days in Ethiopia: Dec.13, 1960-Jan. 24, 1961 9 days to return home via Europe: Jan. 24 – Feb. 2, 1961 FINIS Total of 307 days: April 1, 1960 through Feb. 2, 1961 The following is the transcript of Dr. Jack R. Harlan’s field notes on the 1960 expedition: AGRICULTURAL PERSPECTIVES “Being a brief account of and meditations upon a voyage to Kurdistan, Luristan, Bakhtiaria, Khouzistan and other portions of the Parsee Empire and to Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, the disputed Pushtoonistan and the Western Wing of Pakistan including Gilgit, Chitral, Swat, Dir and the hither reaches of the Hunza and also to the Punjab, Kashmir, Utar Pradesh, the Valleys of Kangra and Kulu, Rajasthan, Gujrat, Maharat and adjacent portions of Hindustan, as well as Aden, Djibouti and the provinces of Harar, Kaffa, Shoa, Bagemeder, Tigre and others of the Ancient Royal Kingdom and Empire of Ethiopia; the whole in search of Agricultural Perspectives and a surcease1 from committee meetings, television, and world news events, in all 1 I was not sure of the spelling of this word, so I guessed and the computer didn’t like it, but it gave me a choice of words to try. I tried the above spelling and asked the computer for a synonym so I could be sure I was in the ball park; but the computer didn’t know what it meant either. It suggested that I check the computer’s Thesaurus but 2 JACK R. HARLAN EXPEDITIONS – EXP. # 2 – IRAN, USSR & ASIA – 1960, 61 Trans ten glorious months of complete escape from the old rat race, April 1, 1960 to Feb 2, 1961, by Jack R. Harlan, the escapee, Professor of Agronomy, Oklahoma State University and Principal Geneticist Forage and Range Division, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stillwater, Oklahoma, to which and the gracious and generous assistance of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the New Crops Branch of the United States Department of Agriculture and the Oklahoma-Ethiopian Contract is gratefully acknowledged.” 2 day flight to Europe: April 1-3, 1960 (Return) April 1-1960 Fri “Left Stillwater Ca: 3:25 pm. Plane left Tulsa on time but sat at end of runway for 30 min. & was ½ hour late getting to Wash. Stayed at Lafayette Hotel.” [DC] April 2-3 Sat-Sun “Got briefed & took NAA plane at 12:30 pm to New York Idlewild. Wrote Jean personal letter & wasted a lot of time around the big airport. Seats finally assigned & took off only a little late. Taxing to the runway, ventilator fell off the men’s room. Could hear the pilots discussing a pump which moves petrol from one tank to another. Pump wasn’t working but someone was puttering with it. Finally took off the ground 1 ½ hours late. Leaving Boston, and so help me, we had dinner at 12:15 AM. 6 seats abreast and very crowded. I had front row aisle which was much better than center. Pretty crowded. Had breakfast & finally landed about noon our time but 5:00 GMT (PM). Cleared customs, changd $20 at 2.86 & hiked to Skyway Hotel. Nice room but very expensive. Had dinner & went to bed even though it was early afternoon our time. Slept until the middle of the night & then woke & couldn’t sleep. Read a while & slept again2. Plumbing leaks, plaster peeling form walls. Brand new.” [London] the Thesaurus didn’t know either. In other words, the computer recognized this as a word but it didn’t know what it meant any more than I did. So, I went by old beat-up Webster’s Dictionary (1975) and found it. The word means “to cease.” 2 When my bride and I flew to Paris and then West Africa in 1971 for our honeymoon, someone told us that, in order to beat the jet lag, what we needed to do is to fall into the local times for sleeping and eating as soon as possible and it will work out. Jack Harlan did not have that little piece of advice and so had to suffer with it. HVH2 3 JACK R. HARLAN EXPEDITIONS – EXP. # 2 – IRAN, USSR & ASIA – 1960, 61 Trans Europe April 4-8, 1960 (5 days): (Return) April 43 Mon “To Kew by bus – the porter said to take 80 or 81 to ‘carriage’. This turned out to be Houndslow garage. Then the trolley bus to Kew Bridge, was walking towards the gate when Mr. Hubbard came out of his house & met him on the walk. Told me to go to herbarium & Mr. Mourn? Redhead would show me around. He did. Some 7 million specimens & 75,000 more each year. A large staff working hard can’t keep up with it. They would like to modernize the arrangement but can’t afford to move 7 million specimens, Mostly by Bentham & Hooker with special groups for Ochidaceae & grasses. Dr Bor4 came in later. Very robust & delightful man. Mr. Clayton is the grass man & they showed me where the Bothriochloa were. Took some hasty notes. In aft.spent 2 ½ hours in the gardens. A beautiful day & the gardens are very impressive. Light meter wasn’t in adjustment & first pictures probably bad. Back to hotel by bus. The drinks were expensive too. Went to restaurant at airport but this cost even more” [London] He went back to the hotel and after dinner “hiked out to London Airport Central to be sure I was going on the right plane. A long walk.”5 [London] April 5 Tues “Another day at the Kew. Bor took Mr. Hubbard, Mr. Clayton & myself to luncheon – very good. Spent about 1 ½ hours later in the gardens. A young man told me . B. carinatus6 had escaped up and down the Thames. Back to the hotel and dinner Hiked out to London Airport Central7 to be sure I was going on the right plane. A long walk. Tried a pub on the way back. Beer very cheap & tasted like it” [London] April 6 Wed “Took hotel bus to (London Airport) Central.