490 



Transactions. 



We further suggest a standard method for the description of a soil 

 formation. One advantage of the methods of soil survey proposed in this 

 article is that the whole is huilt up from small units. It will be possible 

 for the qualified teachers of agricultural science in the schools and colleges 

 throughout the Dominion to describe the soil formation on which they are 

 located ; so that gradually, as information accumulates, the formations 

 may be grouped into series, and practical conclusions of some importance 

 may be expected. 



Scheme for Description of Soil Formation. 



1. Boundaries: Roads or railways will usually be found most suitable 

 until the exact boundaries can be determined in detail. Rivers and hills 

 will usually be unsuitable, as lying wholly within or wholly without the 

 formation. 



2. Physiography and topography : A general account of the more 

 important physiographical features, such as rivers, hills, &c. 



3. Mode of formation of soil, whether sedentary or transported ; water- 

 supply, surface and subsurface. 



4. Meteorological statistics so far as available : Rainfall, average annual 

 fall, and seasonal distribution ; mean monthly temperature, maximum and 

 minimum ; amount of bright sunshine ; quality and quantity of wind. 



5. Mechanical analyses of samples taken on an average of one per 

 square mile : Soil should as a rule be taken 6 in. deep ; subsoil (the next 

 layer) 6 in. deep. 



6. Chemical analyses of composite samples representing uniform areas" 

 of ten or twelve square miles : The chief determinations should be of lime, 

 magnesia, phosphoric acid, and potash soluble in 

 strong hydrochloric acid. Organic matter may be 

 determined as loss on ignition. The amount of 

 calcium carbonate will often be a matter of im- 

 portance. A lookout should always be kept for 

 any connection between the amounts of the 

 minerals and the manurial requirements of the 

 soils. 



7. Profile : This can usually best be repre- 

 sented by a sketch, the various materials being 

 conventionally represented as shown in fig. 2. 



8. Information from experienced farmers on 

 the formation regarding crops, manures, and 

 cultivation best suited to the soil. 



9. Results of any reliable manurial or varietal experiments that have 

 been made. 



10. Lists of prominent weeds, especially those of untended land. 



It should be clearly understood that the primary object of the pre- 

 liminary local work is not an attempt to discover the " philosopher's stone " 

 of the local agriculturist. The first aim is descripton ; then comes correla- 

 tion — an attempt to connect the practical field observations with analytical 

 and other results obtained in the laboratory ; finally, when sufficient results 

 have been collected and compared, will come inference — the laying-down 

 of such rules of practice the proof of which has been found in the previous, 

 systematic study. 





cJay 



,-umdy cJ&jr 

 sand 

 gravel 

 rock jn situ 



Fig. 2. — Conventional sketch 

 of a soil profile. 



