Great Falls tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1921-current, 1922-12-17
Special to The Tribune.

tSbstlai ~
Washington. D. G., Dec. 16.-Some
years ago q group Of highly respected
men in the United States predicted all
manner Of sad things about the soil of
this country. They said that i'll u few
years it would lose its power to pro-
duce crops and hat our now fertile
fields would be barren wastes. 1t was
a very gloomy picture and caused much
discussion. The prophets called upon
the United States department of agri-
culture to back up their theory.
But the bureau of soils of the depart
ment had been conducting Investigations
of it's own on A nationwide basis and
the workers had decided that soil is a
living thing. This doctrine is sunmed
up by saying that the soil is the one
permanent and unchanging asset that
the nation has. 1t is the one resource
that can not be used up. 1t mag be
abused and it's productivity cut down,
but it can never be destroyed.
Has CircuIatory System
This does not mean hat there have
not been individual failures through
poor management of the soil by individ-
uais or communities. There are many
failures in all industrial and commercial
life. and the farmer is just as apt to
have his troubles as anyone else.
Researches of the bureau have shown
that the soil is Il living thing, in exactly
the same way that an animal or n
plant is a living thing-it breathes: it
has n circulatory system; it has a
solution carrying food material similar
to the blood of animals: it is the home
of the same kind of bacteria. chemical
substances and processes that play a
part in the animal growth and life: 1t
digeSts organic matter, d~isposing of the
remains Of animals and plants through
processes like those of animals.
The soil, the bureau has found, gets
tired just as n human. and in extreme
eases has d complete breakdown for II
time, according TO the treatment it
gets and the conditions under which it
exists. The soil. therefore, must be
properly exercised by blowing and Guilt
v%ation; it must be properly fed by
plants. the remains of which it can
digest; and by a rotation of plants. just
as the dairyman finds 1t necessary to
change the feed of his cows to keep
them in a high state of production.
Test European Soils
In line with this theory and the work
which the bureau has been carrying Oh
in this country, Il representative swas
sent abroad to study the soils of west
ern. central, southern and southeastern
Europe. This agent of the bureau
travelled more than 5000 miles while
in Europe and collected soil samples
in some 100 localities. On comparison
with the soils Of this country. it was
found that there was some similarity
in practically every case. and these
soils are still producing good crops
despite the fact that they were culti-
waited for centuries before the discov-
cry of America. Samples of soil from
alfalfa and wheat fields along the old
Roman Appian Way were brought back
and will be used in experiments by the
department.
Accepting the theory that the soil
is a living thing, the bureau of soils
is the soil doctor. just us n physician
advises n change of occupation or a
change of diet for certain human trout
bles and uses drugs to help In his
treatment. SO the bureau diagnoses the
disorders of soils and srecommends a
change of method, or a shafgs Of crop