Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
A Research Division of Carnegie Mellon University

Hunt Institute Archives Text Discovery Platform

Search a large and growing portion of our online collections, including handwritten documents.
PROTOTYPE

This prototype uses state-of-the-art artificial intelligence, including a vision-language model (VLM) capable of reading handwritten documents as well as typed and printed text, to create searchable transcriptions of digitized materials in the Hunt Institute Archives. This makes it possible to search the textual contents of individual pages, including material that may not be described in the archival catalog.

Use Keyword search for specific words, names, dates, scientific names, or phrases. Try Semantic search (experimental) to describe a topic, question, or kind of material when you do not know the exact wording used in the documents.

About the AI-generated transcriptions

The transcriptions are generated automatically from page images and may contain errors, especially with difficult handwriting, unusual names, multiple languages, image-quality problems, or complex layouts. They are intended primarily as a discovery aid rather than authoritative transcriptions.

Each result provides the generated transcription and links to the original digitized material and associated archival description so that readings can be checked against the source. The transcription workflow uses AI models run locally by the Hunt Institute.

About Keyword and Semantic search

Keyword search is the default and matches the wording in the transcriptions. Results contain all your terms. Use quotes for an exact phrase. Substring matching is supported, so aceae can find plant-family names ending in -aceae.

Semantic search (experimental) is useful when you know what kind of material you are looking for but do not know the words used in the documents. It ranks transcribed passages by similarity of meaning, so relevant results may not contain the exact words in your query.

Semantic queries can be broad research topics, descriptions of activities or relationships, or natural-language questions. For example:

plant collecting and fieldwork in South America medicinal, culinary, or other traditional uses of plants chromosomes and plant classification early herbals and botanical illustrations botanical institutions exchanging plants, seeds, and specimens microscopy and photomicrography in botanical research How did botanists and gardeners introduce plants from one region to another? grafting, budding, and propagation of tropical fruit crops

Semantic search is not a chatbot: a question is used as a search query, and the system returns archival passages that appear conceptually related to it rather than generating an answer or summary. Short descriptions and ordinary research questions generally work better than lists of disconnected keywords. Quotation marks have no special meaning in Semantic mode. Cross-language matching may work in some cases, but it should not be treated as translation.

Keyword and Semantic search are complementary. Keyword search lets you require particular wording; Semantic search can surface differently worded passages about the same subject. Depending on the research question, trying both can reveal different useful material.

Open a result: use the prominent page-and-transcription link to see the metadata, PDF, and full transcription. Keyword-search terms are highlighted in the transcription.

Archives Collections Database (ArchivesSpace): the Collection, Item/Folder, and Digital Object links open the corresponding archival records. Collection-level dates describe the collection as a whole, not necessarily the specific item or page.

If a PDF does not load: on the detail page, use the Digital Object link, click “Go to file” in ArchivesSpace, and navigate to the page number shown here.

Current limitations
  • Automated transcriptions can contain missing or incorrect text or unintended repetition. Difficult handwriting, image quality, unusual layouts, and multiple languages can reduce accuracy. Always consult the original page image when an exact reading matters.
  • Semantic search remains experimental. Its rankings are an additional discovery aid, not a complete or definitive set of relevant results, and highly ranked pages can sometimes be only broadly related.
  • This is an active prototype. Search coverage, transcriptions, functionality, and the interface may continue to change as additional archival material is processed and the system is improved.

← Back to results

Page 29 · DO #6 · 204_Popenoe_Bx1FF2r

Collection
Wilson Popenoe (1892–1975) family papers
Item/Folder
Adams, Kermit and Dorothy, 19 August 1968–21 March 1975
Digital Object
DO #6, page 29
Collection-level dates
1882–1975
Open PDF at page 29 ↗

Page transcription

AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
UNITED STATES A. I. D. MISSION TO GUATEMALA
AMERICAN EMBASSY
GUATEMALA CITY, GUATEMALA, C. A.
March 3, 1972

Dr. Wilson Popenoe
Casa del Oidor
Calle de la Nobleza
Antigua, Guatemala

Dear Pop:

Drewe Leigh was to be met at the airport by Godínez, Velásquez, a reporter and myself. We looked all over for him, to no avail and finally left the airport at 10:30 a.m. At 1:00 p.m. I received a phone call saying he is at Bárcena.

It seems that he had left late from San Pedro Sula on Aviateca(we were looking for him on PAA), had never gone through migration, and called the school. Had to start back early with him at 3:00 p.m. So not really much of a visit. However, the school did what they could for him.

He really felt badly -he arrived so late and could not see you. He uses your book on tropical fruit all the time and referred to you one of the "Old Master". I told him you would like to meet him as well. He is the Principal Tropical Fruit Officer of NSW Department of Agriculture in Australia and knows many people you know.

He had to get on to Trinidad later to Puerto Rico and Jamaica and on back to Australia. He had already been in Hawaii and California.

He offered to exchange information with Guatemala on avocados. They are doing a lot of macadamia planting in Australia now, as well as planting passion fruit, bananas, etc.

We learned that production of avocados is almost 200 lbs/tree, with 50 trees to the acre (seems small number of trees to me) and that the price on them is high in the markets, being $22(Australia) for a flat of 20 at times. An Aussie dollar = 84¢ U.S. if I am not mistaken.

Also he told me of a new method of early grafting they are using for avocados and macadamia. In the latter they are removing the radicle as it comes out of the seed and placing the graft in at that time. Their macadamia trees come into production at 4 years, am told.

Well, sir, I am down right sorry we could not get him out to Antigua, and he was really wanting to see you. One of those unfortunate things that happen.