Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-05-16

sOllS DIS reSdfuS Size Oh paTllcic= Al
wolves the whole fascinating geologic
al story of the North American conu-
nent. All along the fat coastal plans
OF the Atlantic from New York City 10
the southern tip OF Florida are I'M
mense tracts of sandy soil which tell
to the geologist tale of the upward
pushing of the ocean bed in compare.
lively recent times, with the Result
OF exposing a great shelf 200 miles
wide at its greatest extent in North
carolina. In this district, where so
much of the garden truck OF the
whole country is raised, the soils are
composed largely OF sand washed
down by rivers from the Appalachian
mountains ana Piedmont Plateaus To
the west
Further back in the Piedmont belt
are the soils which are heavier and
more consistent, being formed direct
ly from the nderlying rocks. Behind
this belt are the mountain sides, very
ancient and grizzled aristocrats, &C
cording To the geological book. A
wearing existence they have led, for
countless ages. Every drop of rain
tnal falls is charged with minute
quantities of acid that eats into the
mountain rocks and keeps the pro
cesses of the formation of new mater
ial alive. The frosts, too, of the winter
spit boulders and lodges. The roots
OF trees and plants on the steep
slopes contribute their quota of chem
icals that help to dissolve the stone
beneath, and also break it up by me-
chanical action.
Considering the differences among
rocks of only one section, to say no.
thing of lie differences in the soils
due to differences in the processes of
formation, it is not strange the scien-
list who undertakes to classify soils
nnds an almost depressingly large
INST of varieties or dirt awaiting his
disposition. The ice alone has made
mess enough to keep the experts
classifying for a generation or two.
through the northern part of the
country, in very recent times geologic
ally, the creeping glaciers from the
polar regions scratched off the tops
OF hills and mountains and deposited
On the outer rim of their field of Cd
GRAFTON the products of their incess-
ant grinding, boulders borne for hun
dreds OF miles, gravel hills higher
IMAM a cuhrch steeple, and immense
scatterings of the fine detritus known
TO biologists as 'loess.'' Again every
where through the far west, noun
tains which are very young as COM
pared with those patriarchs, the Ap-
palacnians, have already begun to dis
intergrate and to fill valleys and can.
yons with varieties of what look RI
the laymen like common garden dirt
out which are cherished by the sciep.
unc men as peculiarly interesting.
Not only the mechanical and miner
illogical composition of the particles
composing the different soils musr be
taken into account, but there are.
many other factors. The study of
climatology, furthermore, is ans essen
tial part of soil classification, he
cause of the influence OF climate upun
the character of the soil; that is WIN
the assistance of nathemtical ex.
pert OF the Weather Bureau is in.
valuable IN such an investigation as
is being conducted under the auspices
OF the George Washington university
You may have two districts whose
soils are about the same in other res
poets. Yet the industrial usefulness
of each will differ from that of the
other because of differences of eli
mate.
Such studies as Mr.. Coffey is max
Ing illustrate perfectly ,e point tha.
is made in the campaign for a nat
ional endowment of the George Wasr-
ington university that nowhere else
In the world are there such oppor-
tunities for advanced research work
along lines of applied science as are
onered In Washington. The growth OF
this single division of a department
In the Bureau of Soils in the last feu
years has given scores of young
scientific men chance to Investigate
subjects Of which until recently very
little was known. In summarizing the
results Of various Investigations upon
soil classification, the department of
graduate studies. of which Professor
Charles e. Monroe has charge. will
unquestionably have secured an i'm
portant contribution to human knowl
edge.