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 30 · DO #113 · 204_Popenoe_Bx8FF111r

Collection
Wilson Popenoe (1892–1975) family papers
Item/Folder
General Correspondence - G (Gaines, Joel D. to Gurdian, Roberto J.), 1 February 1919 –17 April 1973
Digital Object
DO #113, page 30
Collection-level dates
1882–1975
Open PDF at page 30 ↗

Page transcription

S.J.GIANELLONI, JR.
LONGWOOD PLANTATION
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
April 28, 1959

Dear Doctor Popenoe:

I was indeed sorry that we were not able to get together again before I left Antigue, for it was a pleasure finally to meet you after hearing and reading over the years of your accomplishments in Central America.

Both Mrs. Gianelloni and I had read with enjoyment Dorothy Popenoe's splendid little volume, as well as the book by Louis Adamic. These books have given us the feeling of knowing you and your home as well. It gave me particular pleasure, therefore, to sit there with you and see this historic home once again being lived in.

Being a farmer, and having always admired the banana plant for its beauty, for many years I have given bulbs to people from all over the state. In one area where I started them some twenty years ago in this manner, they now extend in profusion for almost a hundred miles from Donaldsonville to the Gulf, along Bayou Lafourche. They grow well here, and often produce fruit, but the varieties we have here are poor. Of course, we also have the small decorative one which does not produce fruit, but we have large varieties with trunks as much as a foot across, and 20 to 25 feet high. These which do produce fruit have large seeds and poor flavor, but some may be cooked as plantains.

I am wondering if there is some variety you might recommend which would produce fruit in this area, and what fertilizer and technique you would suggest to force them in the growing season we have before the freezes. I do not have in mind any commercial venture; it would be simply be for decorative purposes plus whatever fruit they might produce.

If you think there is a variety which we might do well in bringing here, I feel sure that I could get it admitted, with the assistance of my friend, Dr. J. Norman Efferson, Dean of the Agricultural School at Louisiana State University.

Should you and Mrs. Popenoe ever be in this area, please do not hesitate to call on us, as you will be most welcome.

Sincerely yours,

Dr. Wilson Popenoe
Antigua, Guatemala