The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-08-03
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC ). HAsKuN. Director.
Washington, ID. O.
SOILS OF THE OLD COUNTRY.

SOILS OF THE OLD COUNTRY.
Washington, D. c., July 31.-Soils
play an important part in the eco
nomic development of civilization, and
science has begun to take serious &C
count of this fact. DR.. c. F. Marbut
of the department of agriculture has
Just returned from Europe where he
made a study of soils. He emphasizes
the need for this country to know the
exact soil conditions in other parts OF
the world.
The amount of lime or organic mat
\ ter in the soil of some distant country
may not seem to concern this country
/ to any great extent, yet this one fac
| tor NAV vitality affect the future of
| our export trade in some agricultural
staple.
The Importance of knowing about
soil conditions of other parts OF the
| few years ago and such Information
will constantly become more signirl-
cant. Considerable areas in Europe
and South America are Sill useo ZOE
grazing by nomadic peoples who nave
lnot Reached a settled agricultural
! stage Cultivation of the plains OF
Rumania was begun only about oV
Years ago. And enormous stretches OF
land in Uruguay, Argentina a u.
/ southern Brazil. similar in SOIL cohuL-
] tons TO OUT COEI OSASB GO
when South American lands are
planted in crops and when 1arm ma
chinery- and scientific methods come
into general use in these secnons Tn, sne
l United States may find that II mas
lsome new and powerful competitors
/ in world trade. The South American
countries will most likely grow corn
LIZ their soil conditions are suitable
| If the Argentine planter is likely TO
become a dangerous competitor of the
corn belt farmer in this country we
should know the probabilities ana De
ready.
J into corn raising more extensively in
the future. AS Europe becomes more
prosperous and the people consume
more meat there will be greater
demand for corn to feed stock Eu-
country then, but if it can be raised
there cheaply and in quantities the
United States may he asked for small
er instead of larger shipments.
lions will help agricultural experts to
prophesy about these matters with
some degree of accuracy.
Europe's Corn Belt.
Thus, part of Rumania has a belt of
black soil somewhat like the corn
and Kansas. This is significant when
you consider that Rumania is now
the great corn exporting country OF
Europe. DR.. Marbut had thought 1t
possible that with cheap labor in Eu-
rope there might be large area in
Rumania capable of producing corn
| as cheaply as this country does. il
Rumania should adopt our methods
of farming. After spending some
time in Rumania and studying the
soil, however he thinks it unlikely
that that country will become a corn
growing rival of the United States.
They have no land that is the exact
equivalent of our great corn belt.
| This is one instances in which
| scientific study of soil has made it
possible to forecast agricultural proba-
bilities in a general way. Doctor Mar
but believes that we should learn
what we can from European expert
/ ence and research and apply the con-
| illusions to our own problems.
| These problems are numerous for
we have a greater variety of soils than
any other country on earth and we
| raise a wide range of agricultural
! products. We think of kind of soil
as being peculiar to some one region
/ Yet again and again striking similari-
ties occur. The soil of the fertile
Hungarian plains is reproduced IN a
] Minnesota, the Dakotas, Nebraska,
| Iowa and Kansas.
| The famous sod of ireland is on
soil very like that along the coast of
/
mate and heavy rainfall of this west
| coast region are favorable for grass.
The land is heavily timbered, but
| where the trees are cut out there are
| some fine grass fields. Ireland, Tof
! course. was cleared hundred of years
! ago, perhaps 1000 years. and rainfall
| is better distributed there But this
| country may yet produce grass to rival
! the emerald sod of Erin.
! The Kentucky bluegrass that we
| think of as fvniCallV American grows
| on limestone soil very much like that
| of northern France. The French soil
| is somewhat shallower. Doctor Mar
| but found. 1t is the best grass land
| Of Europe, and is used for raising
small grain and fruit and for pastures.
/ It is interesting to find that the
soils of old Bohemia are almost iden-
teal with those of southeast Pennsyl-
vania, known as Chester soils; and
that the soils of southern Germany
resemble the best part of Kentucky.
| the Shenandoah valley of Virginia
and the Lebanon and Cumberland val
leys of Pennsylvania. With all the
variety of soils in this country immi-
i grants of Germany and Bohemia
have settled in regions where the soils
are similar to those at home. This
may account to some extent for the
| success of the German farmers in the
east.
| Few of us have ever thought of the
soil of Greece as being anything like
land in this country, yet there is a
soils of Greece to those near Tucson,
Arizona. In both regions the soils
are reddish in color and have a hard
pan subsoil.
The Greek farmers had the ideal of
producing their own grain. wine, and
oil. and lifting und-r their own fig
trees. and the farmers of Greece still
grow cranes, olives, figs and wheat