The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-03-26
SOIL BUREAU IN
SPRING CAMPAIGN
Uncle Sam Ready to Launch
Agricultural Drive.
PLAN FARMING STRATEGY

TiIIers Lay Out Work For the Sea-
son Before Sap of the Trees Begins
to Stir-Soils Classified and Crop Ad.
vice Furnished by Federal Bureau Of
Soils.
From now on the mails will carry to
many an amateur gardener and to the
experienced farmer catalogues Of the
various seed houses throughout the
country showing an elaborate display
Of colored pages of fruits, vegetables
and flowers, all tending to create trade
and at the same time creating in the
minds Of those receiving them a desire
to begin preparations for the coming
planting season, says Charles A. Sid
man in the New York Sun.
There is one thing, however, these
catalogues do not speak of, and that is
the subject Of soils, their capabilities
and uses. Every farmer is certain to
find out sooner or later just what kind
Of soil he has and whether he will be
able to grow certain crops on it or not
For this reason when the bureau of
soils was established by the department
Of agriculture to determine by expert
ment and analysis the best soils for
certain fruits, cereals and vegetables it
built better than it knew, and today
the farmer is much richer for the tnfor-
nation which he has thus acquired.
Classifying Soils.
For a number of years the bureau of
soils has been engaged in the classified
ton Of soils, upon soil maps and In the
preparation of reports which describe
the character and uses of the different
soils encountered. Since the beginning
of the work many square miles of the
agricultural regions of the United
States have been surveyed and many
hundred different types Of soil have
been found. Special studies have been
made not only of the soils adapted to
the growing of the cereal crops, but also
Of those soils which have high value
for the production of fruit of various
kinds, of market garden crops, tobacco.
sugar beets and many of the crops re-
Gently introduced into this country.
In addition to the fundamental work
which concerns the area and distribu-
ton of the soils, there is based upon
this careful study of such important
problems as the best adaptation of crop
to soil, the best method of maintaining
or restoring soil fertility, the proper
ways for redeeming land threatened by
the accumulation of alkali and the gen.
eral study of the soil and crop resources
of the entire extent of this country.
The surveys have been so distributed
that nearly every prominent agricul-
tural interest has been touched and the
soils Of some part of every important
agricultural region have been studied.
Thus studies made in New York and
northern Ohio and Indiana, southern
Michigan and southern Wisconsin have
made possible the generalization that
certain classes Of soils in these locali-
ties are especially adapted to the pro-
duction of sugar beets under the eli
matte conditions which exist there.
Rise In Land Values.
Similar studies along the eastern sea-
coast have demonstrated that the Nor
folk sand and fine sandy loan are
peculiarly adapted to the production Of
the early vegetables and fruits which
furnish the northern markets. 1t has
been shown that where transportation
is adequate land Of these soil types
which formerly had land value of S.
an acre can readily be made to have a
value from 500 to 5000 an acre for the
production of truck crops.
The large production of corn in the
central states is largely due to the
wide extent and general distribution of
three types of soil, Miami black clay
loan, the Marshall loan and the Mar.
shall silt loan, which are peculiarly
adapted to corn production under the
climatic conditions which prevail in
that region.
The great importance of the rice In
dustry in Louisiana and Texas has
shown that the heavy silt loans and
clay loans Of the seacoast prairies of
these states are well adapted to rice
production, and it has been upon soils
of this character that the wonderful
strides in rice production have been
possible.