The Brunswick news. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1906-2016, 1909-10-28
THE SOIL SURVEY IN GEORGIA.

The following is from the Athens
Banner and is of special interest in
GlynH county. since Professor Bennett
made extensive examinations with |
highly gratifying results Of Glynn |
county soils:
The United States government is !
doing a good work in all of the states
Of the union through the work Of soil
surveying. This work is being car
ried on under the direction of the
bureau Of soils and rapidly there is.
being gathered definite information
concerning the soils of the different
states and their ada, liability to var
ious crops. In this way the govern
ment is collecting world Of infor-
nation to be placed az the disposal
of those who are seeking homes and
investment
Such work has been done recently
in fourteen counties in Georgia, in
different sections of the state. and the
results will be OF great benefit to the
state. Hugh H. Bennett, Of the bu-
reau Of soils who has been IN charge
of this work in Georgia, among other
things says
The soil survey reports giving the
crop ADAPTATIONS and capabilities Of
the various grades Of land through
out Georgia, as Wen as the better
methods Of cultivation, fertilization
ana rotation Tor the different soils,
50 far as determined by soil maps,
showing the location and extent or
these different types in such way
that the character OF land in any To-
cality may be ascertained readily; Of
Ter the best possible means Ct al
tracing the attention of outsiders 10
the opportunities to be found in the
state.
Further than this, the soil survey
as a fundamental step opens the road
to state wide agricultural advance
ment. Farm demonstration work and
experiment station Investigations are
helping toward healthful agricultural
development, but the information Sc
cured through these sources cannot
be used to best ADVANTAGE, for the
reason that the results OF such tests
are strictly applicable only to those
soils upon which they have been
made.
The soils OF Georgia are ex-
tremely diverse in their Characters
ties, ranging as they do from the
black and cray sandy lands of the
coast country through the red granite
and other crystalline rock soils OF the
Piedmont to the limestone, sandstone,
and shale soils of the northwestern
part of the state. There are PROBABLY
more than one hundred distinct types
of soil in Georgia, no two of which
are equally adapted TO the same crops
or varieties OF crops, or similarity af-
fected by the same cultivation, crop
rotation, or fertilizer application
Too little attention has been paid
TO this most important question OF
| SOIL adaptation; soils have been
cultivated, fertilized and cropped too
much upon the theory that it makes
little difference about the character
OF the land, so long as it is piowed
and fortified. This is the most eX
pensive as we'll as the most mistaken
policy that possibly could be adopted,
and it is high time to give up such
hit or miss methods OF course, much
high-class farming is done in Geor-
gia. The point is to bring about state
wide use of modern methods. Geor-
eia embraces vast areas of extremely
productive lands that are being prof
itably farmed. muct land that is
rather indifferenuy used, and a con-
siderable total area of fertile lands
that could be made highly productive
by the application of welldirected ef-
fort" sas+s aSsfHlS
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