292 ANNUAL REPOETS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The Soil Survey is contributing its share to the development of 

 American agriculture by placing in the hands of the people detailed 

 knowledge of the soils of the country. Its work is both scientific 

 and practical in its scope. It is fundamental in character, and its 

 value in this respect is clearly recognized, as is shown by the in- 

 creasing demand for soil surveys from investigators working in 

 almost every field of scientific agriculture. The introduction of 

 agricultural instruction in the common schools and the extension of 

 agricultural schools has also created a demand for information as to 

 the soils and their relation to agricultural conditions in different 

 parts of the country, which is supplied in the Soil Survey reports. 



Prominent among demands for soil surveys, in addition to those 

 from the cooperating States, are those coming from development 

 companies interested in opening up large tracts of cut-over land to 

 settlement, from the home seeker or farmer looking for a new loca- 

 tion, from road engineers, land banks, and large loan companies. 



The Soil Survey is classing, making an inventory of, and recording 

 the facts concerning the soils of this country. Thus the soil-survey 

 work is the basis for the experimentation of the various State agri- 

 cultural experiment stations. As a result of the classification of the 

 soils by the Soil Survey, varietal and fertilizer tests are being estab- 

 lished on the large and important soil types of the United States. 

 That the soil type possesses individual characteristics is becoming 

 more and more recognized b}^ the agriculturist, county farm adviser, 

 and extension-service director. The peculiarities of the various 

 soils must be considered if we are to make the greatest progress in 

 plant breeding and selection, in fertilizer practice, in cultivation — 

 in fact, in all work looking to improvement of cultivated crops. 



Most of the work of the Soil Survey is carried on in cooperation 

 with State organizations, such as agricultural colleges, experiment 

 stations, departments of agriculture, and geological surveys. Dur- 

 ing the fiscal year the following States contributed funds to help 

 carry on the work: Alabama, Arkansas, California, (Georgia, Idaho, 

 Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mis- 

 sissippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, 

 North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennes- 

 see, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The bureau lias 

 been unable to meet fully the demands of the States for cooperative 

 work and, in addition, to extend its surveys in noncooperating States 

 to the extent necessary to proper progress in the construction of a 

 soil map of the United States. 



Besides cooperating with the States listed, the bureau has coop- 

 erated with the War Department in determining the value of land 

 taken for camp sites, with the Office of Indian Affairs, the Reclama- 

 tion Service, the Department of Justice, the Bureau of Standards, 

 and with the Bureau of Plant Industry and the Forest Service of 

 this department. About the usual amount of such cooperative work 

 was done. 



Much advice and information by correspondence was given during 

 the year by the section of soil information. A large number of 

 miscellaneous samples were examined in connection with this service. 

 Many persons who contemplate the purchase of land or who have 

 recently acquired land seek information regarding the character of 



