Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1926-12-18

tract, but such was not always the
case.
Analyses are still being made Of
samples taken to fixed depths. SIX
inches, 10 or IA inches. regardless OF
changes from the surface downward.
This method of sampling often does
not represent the true soil condition.
The upper five inches of the soil may
be sand and that beneath clay. Sand
and clay are distinct and different
things.
But to get back to What the United
States Soil Survey is doing-in brief,
1t Is classifying our soils and map
ping the surveyed areas to snow
where each type occurs.
Local soil names have long been
in use, but usually they have been
too general and too changeable from
place to place ''Piney woods land"
in Southeastern Georgia, for instance,
refers to any one of numerous and
widely different soil types upon
which pine trees grow, such as wet,
black sand; droughty, deep sand;
and productive sandy loan. In the
Clay Hills Of Mississippi, on the other
hand, the same name Is often used
for stiff, red clay on which nothing
but pine trees will grow successfully
| These names are next to meaningless,
| for the same soil name might mean
both water logged sand and stiff up
| land clay.
Under the system used by the
| United States Soil Survey soils are
classed as sand, fine sand. sandy
| loan, loan, clay loan. clay, and so
| on; as red sand, black sand, yellow
sand, red clay, black limy clay, and
| so on. Many other soil properties
and conditions are carefully con-
| sidered, such as drainage; content Oh
! humus, lime, all1ah; presence Oh
| hard pan, clay-pan, and gravel beds;
| the acid or non acid state of the soil;
the lay Of the land and other i'm
portant soil conditions All these
things are described in the report
/ that goes with the soil map when it
| is sent to the farmer, experiment
station, and others interested in the
land The soil report is not the
; last word as to the best methods OF
fertilizing and handling every soil
! type. Careful experiments for
series of years must be made on
some Of the types to solve various
problems OF this kind. This is the
work Of the experiment station
! Whenever Il big enough area Is sur
veyed to tell which are the main
I agricultural types, dilo INCL iONA
| tions, experimental test-stations are
located on these main types, and the
/ results from the tests made are sent
to those folks who farm the same
kind of soil.
| In q circular from the North Caro-
! lima Experiment Station is the fol-
I lowing statement that helps to show
the value of the soil-mapping plan:
an this state all experimental work
/ with fertilizers is carried on with
/ reference to soil types. Let us sup
| pose that John Smith buys farm in
Scotland county. Referring to the
| oil-survey report, he finds that the
type of soil on which his farm is
! located is Norfolk sandy loan. The
t report tells, too, which crops have
/ been found and are considered 10
I be the best adapted to the soil of his
farm. On this same type of soil in
( Bdgecombe county a test farm has
! been established and fertilizer ex-
! periments are being conducted, and
| have been for a good many years
( past From these experiments he
/ can learn what he had best use IN
/ the way of commercial fertilizer, IN
| order to secure the best paying re-
| suits. for instance. with cotton md
corn, which are two of the main
crops in the state. being grown on
! the Norfolk series of soil at the
present time"
| From the beginning OF SOIL SUP
veys, North Carolina took an active
7 part in the work and never stopped.
| Most of the state has been surveyed,
and for a long time the extension
workers have been able to advise
/ folk about fertilizers according 10
soil type. They don't say SUCH
, things as. ION medium loan soil or
average fertility use phosphorus lib
orally" but instead they use such
expressions as this, ION the Norfolk
/ sandy loan use for cotton 600 to
500 pounds of fertilizer analyZing
about 5 percent phosphoric acid. 0
: per cent ammonia, and per cent
potash, all of the fertilizer to be ap-
piled before the crop is planted: or
part of the nitrogen may be applied
ar the first working of the crop
| This IS getting down TO brass
lacks: when such methods come to
/ be practised generally there will be
more profitable crop yields.
! Soil scientists do not claim that
soil type is the only thing to con-
slider. but it is one of the most i'm
portant things, and one that must
not be overlooked in any efforts to
promote better farm methods. Neither
do they contend that every tract OF
land must be used always for those
crops to which it is best suited. and
for no others. Due regard must be
had for the economic use of farm
labor and machinery throughout the
! year. and for soil building rotations
which sometimes will include crops
that do not alone give profitable re-
turns.
When we know the soil types and
where they occur. we are going TO
do more good farming on good land
and less bad farming on bad land.
! Hugh Hammond Bennett.