Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-12-22
SOILS FERTILE As EVER
FEDERAL BUREAU SAYS PRODUCE
TIvlTY HAS NOT BEEN
IMPAIRED.
GOVERNMENT EXPERTS
DISAGREE WITH JIM HILL
Investigations in Several States Show
That Land Yield Per Acre is Great
er Than Ever-Bureau Of Soils Pre-
sents Interesting Report on Investi-
atoms.

Washington. Dec. 22.-1n his annual
report covering the operations of the
United States bureau of soils, Prof.
Milton Whitney, the chief of the bu-
reau, makes some interesting state
ments on the work OF the soil survey
of the bureau
The report shows total of 100, 900
square miles of soils surveyed during
the fiscal year 190s-o9. In addition to
the detailed soil survey work, which
covered 24,436 square miles in twenty
states, the bureau made reconnaissance
surveys of the great plains section and
the Appalachian section of the country,
covering 10000 square miles, at the
average cost of 80 cents per square
mile. Reconnaissance work was also
done in Texas, covering an area of
more than $4,000 square miles. To June
1909, states the report, 1854 square
miles have been covered by detailed
soil survey, and including the recon-
Nuisance work on that date the total
area surveyed by the bureau was 257,-
694 square miles. UP to date the bureau
has worked in every state in the union,
with the exception of Nevada.
Demand For Services.
The report goes into details OF the
work of cooperation with several
states and says there is at present a
greater demand upon the resources of
the soil survey organization than the
bureau is able to meet. The bureau
! is cooperating with New York, New
Jersey, West Virginia, North Carolina,
Alabama, Mississippi, Missouri, Wis
consin. North Dakota, South Dakota
and Washington.
I The most interesting part of the re-
port is that dealing with soil fertility
Investigations. Professor Whitney Is
authority for the statement, which Is
1 in opposition to James j. Hill and
| several western men, that the soils of
the country are not deteriora ting; on
the other hand showing that they yield
per acre more than they ever have be-
fore. In part, he says with regard to
the soil fertility Investigations of the
bureau:
considerable progress has been
made in the investigation of infertile
soils and the causes which lead TO fer
tility and infertility of our agricultural
lands. Part of the Investigations have
been along the line of determining the
fundamental factors conducive to the
most fertile conditions in soil. Espe-
cial stress has been laid during the
past year on the further examination
of the organic mmatter of soils, and it's
influence upon crop growth and the
maintaining of the proper soil condi-
average content of organic matter in
the soils of the United States, as de-
termined by the analysis of several
thousand soils. is FOG per cent for the
soil and 0S3 per cent for the subsoil.
The organic content of an acre of soil
!; amounts, therefore, to about fifty tons
Of this organic matter almost nothing
has been known definitely in the past
altho it's fundamental Importance in
, maintaining proper soil conditions has
, long been recognized. An investiga-
5 ton into the origin, Transformation, de-
| struction and accumulation of this or
r ganic matter has been made, and much
valuable information concerning it's eff
fects in promoting or hindering crop
, production has been obtained. There
have been isolated from the soil mum
} Der of very definite organic bodies
crystalline in appearance and possess
2 ing properties. in some cases harmful
in other cases neutral, and in still 9TH
2 ers beneficial to the growth of crops.
Light on Fertilization.
tTn addition to the isolation and
, study of these definite crystalline
bodies, a great deal of valuable infor.
). nation has been collected concerning
p the rest of the organic matter, which is
I not obtainable in this pure form, but
of which the properties have been de-
termined by study. AS a result it ha:
been found that the organic matter o.
different soils differs very widely
indeed and that the organic change.
2 which the plant debris is subjected t
a vary greatly in different regions of the
), United States under the varying condi
. tons of temperature, rainfall, and linz
v content of the various regions Their
have arisen under these conditions soil
containing entirely different forms o
organic matter, resulting from the diff
= ferent forces which have caused deca.
under these varying influences o
q climate. The cultural methods also il
y any one region have produced change
in the organic matter of the soils, an
this has been shown to be true not onl
of the strictly cultural methods, blu
also of other treatments given to tn
" soil, such as the application Of lime an
- various forms OF fertilizers. IN othe
:. words, the application of lime or tn
- application of sodium nitrate, or pot
ash, or phosphate has had the effect Q
causing the change in the organic mat
ter to proceed in different directio
+ from that which occurs in the soil whe
Y. these bodies have not been added. I
= this way much valuable informatio
concerning the action Of fertilizers i