BTVISK^N OF SOILS. ■ 73 



One of tlie large growei-s and i)ackei-.s of Florida tobaeeo urged 

 that Avliile they knew from experience where good tobaeeo is grown, 

 if they bought land adjacent to this they might be successful or other- 

 wise, and that it would l)e a very great advantage to them to have a 

 map showing the area and distribution of land known to be adapted 

 to the best grades of leaf. 



An eminent correspondent from the State of Washington saj's: 



I trust you will be able to conduct a most careful examination, not only at 

 Wallawalla and Yakima, but in other sections of this State. All questions of this 

 nature are of the greatest importance at this time, because of the fact that a very 

 large number of people are coming to this cnmtry to buy land and engage in 

 farming and fruit raising. There are. consequently, scattered throughall the 

 United States a large number of heads of families who are interested in all the 

 reliable data that can be secured regarding the soils of this State, as well as regard- 

 ing the general productiveness of the farming sections and of the irrigable areas. 



A correspondent from Montana writes : 



As you know, this valley consists of about 60,000 acres of land, 10.000 of which 

 have gone to alkali, and that is the very best i)art. 



The director of the Arizona experiment station, in urging the exten- 

 sion of the work in that Territory-, says : 



The work of the soil and alkali survey', especially in a new country, is of great 

 value in showing settlers the nature of the laud and its liabilities to alkali — infor- 

 mation which oftentimes will guide a farmer to a choice between success and dis- 

 aster in his o; erations. 



A single instance during the past j^ear will illustrate the desirability of this sort 

 of work. The Arizona experiment station has been conducting sugar-beet culture 

 experiments in the fertile valley of the Upper Gila. The plots were very various 

 as to the nature of the soil, and five characteristic plots gave the following yields 

 of sugar per acre in pounds: 1,491, 1.5'il, 2,00(i. :2.2(37, o,3tJl. The first two yields 

 were secured in sandy mesa soil, the second two in a tj-pical heavy soil found in 

 the river bottom, and the fifth and largest yield was secured on a peculiar type of 

 alluvial soil. These great differences in sugar production are mainly due to dif- 

 ferences in soil: consequently, in the exploitation of this district for be t-sugar 

 factory purposes, it is absolutely essential to know the location and extent of this 

 latter soil, as it is certain that beet culture would best prosper in this type of soil. 



Finally, a correspondent writes: 



Such a survey is very important and is very necessary in Mississippi. * * * 

 I thmk you ought to do it. and I think it could be done by simply permitting the 

 work in Mississippi to take the place of work finished elsewhere. 



This suggestion can not readily be carried out, for where the work 

 has been done it has taken such a strong hold on the people that with 

 the slightest suggestion of svithdrawiug from the State thej^ simj^ly 

 go to their Senators and Representatives and ask them to look out for 

 the interests of their States. The States of Connecticut, Maryland, 

 North Carolina, Utah, and California, where we have done our best 

 work, A^ill not permit the withdrawal of our field parties without a 

 vigorous protest before the Secretary, and, if necessar}', before the 

 Congressional committees. Other States are equally insistent that 

 the soil- survey work should be extended to their borders. The rapid 

 extension of the work has heretofore been limited by the small number 

 of trained men ; but this has been remedied no\v, and it will be j)0ssible 

 to organize at least twenty field parties In' the 1st of next July. 



I do not see how any of the States represented in the list below can 

 be left out. There is a very determined effort being made in each of 

 them to secure an extension of the soil-survey work. Other States, 

 as will be seen by the map (tig. 1), have made application through 

 some official person or organization. 



