The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1911-11-30
Farm Topics
What Are Soil Surveys Worth?

Not long since there appeared an
article in the columns of The Pro-
gressive Farmer under the above cap
ton which seemed to hit wide of the
mark and to do considerable injus-
tice to a movement everywhere look
ed upon as most worthy and entirely
necessary. What are soil surveys
worth?" What is classification worth
in any science, or in the study Of any
related set of facts? What would
botanits of to-day do had not Lin
naeus, the Swedish botanist, made
his classification of plants? What
would students of anatomy do to-day
without systematic classification of
the bones, muscles, and nerves of the
human body? And what would
course in agriculture be worth to-day
without a knowledge Of soils? And
what would a student of agricultural
soils of to-day without the classified
ton of soils begun by Whitney some
ten or twelve years ago. 1t is hard
by too much to say that the knowl-
edge of agricultural soils in the Unit
ed States and, to a great extent, in
the world, bears direct ratio to the
progress in the proper classification
and mapping of the soils in the Unit
ed States.
Twenty years ago "pigs was pigs"
and soils was Soils" and no one
knew or cared to investigate any in
trinsic differences existing among
them. Our soil facts were in a most
chaotic condition and remained so
until Whitney came to the rescue and
began to set things in order and to
develop a science Of soils hitherto
unknown. True, Mr.. King had done
much good work on soils but his field
was soil physics pure and simple and
did not touch the all-important class
ification SO necessary as broad
foundation on which to build real
Iy important working knowledge of
soils as related to crop production.
To-day no agricultural college
worthy of the name, would think Of
graduating a student in agriculture
without first imbuing him with a
knowledge Of the classification of the
soils Of his State, and, In a general
way, those of the United States.
Furthermore, there Is not an in
telligent answer given to-day to
question concerning the fertilization
of the soil or the crop adaptation of
the soil that is not based on a knowl-
edge of the given soil type. Soil types
are individuals and must have, to a
large extent, individual treatment.
Therefore, when a farmer writes his
State Department of Agriculture, his
Agricultural Experiment Station, or
| the u. S. Department Of Agriculture,
concerning the treatment of any par
ticular soil on his farm, the answers
to his questions. If reliable, are based
on a knowledge Of his soil gained
from a study of the classification Of
the particular soil made by the u. s.
Soil Survey or some other similar
agency. Where these surveys are not
made how Is any agricultural adviser
to know hat to tell John Smith about
his soil management unless he act
ually visits John Smiths farm and
personally inspects his felds--an i'm
practicable undertaking?
The soil survey enables men to
buy and sell at a distance without
the usual danger OF being cheated in
a deal. Thousands OF dollars are
/ thus saved each year by reliance up
on a faithful soil may Of the area I'm
which the purchase is to be made.
/ To illustrate, not long ago man in
Arkansas wished to buy a farm in
/ North Carolina but knew nothing of
| the kind of land the man had for
/ sale. The man in Arkansas took up
a soil map together with the report
i on the area and saw for himself just
/ about what he might expect to find
/ in that region. After asking the man
q few well-chosen questions. he found