BUREAU OF SOILS. 611 



EDUCATIONAL SETS OE SOIL SAMPLES. 



Several years aco the Bureau of Soils jiiit together a set of soil 

 samples, includinfr the most imj:)ortaiit soils that had been identified 

 up to that time. Sets were distributed to the agricultural colleges for 

 use in instruction. The demand for such educational material .was 

 large and the bureau soon found itself unable to supply the demand 

 without the exjienditure of more money than was then thought ad- 

 visable. Since that time the sun-ey's work has identified a much 

 greater number of very important soils, and, as was stated above, has 

 probably identified all the very important soils in the country. On 

 account of this and of the demand by educational institutions for 

 samples, a demand that has never ceased, it is now proposed to prejoare 

 sets of about 50 samples of soil and a corresponding number of sub- 

 soils, including and illustrating the soils of great national importance, 

 to be distributed to agricultural colleges and schools where agricul- 

 ture is taught, so that students can see as they study actual samples 

 of soils used by thousands and thousands of acres for truck, corn, 

 wheat, fruit, tobacco, and other special and general farm croj)s. To 

 accomplish the end sought will require the assignment of one man to 

 this work and the allotment of sufficient money to enable him to work 

 effectivel3^ which would amount, all told, for salary and expenses, to 

 about $5,000 per year. 



USE OF SOILS. 



During the year there has been prepared a set of circulars giving a 

 brief and nontechnical description of the origin, place of occurrence, 

 pro|jerties, and uses of 40 of the most important types of soils found 

 within the easteiTi portion of the United States. Each of these cir- 

 culars gives a full description of the individual soil type, its present 

 and prospective agricultural uses, the common methods of soil man- 

 agement and treatment, and the chief requirements to increase the 

 producing capacity of the soil to render its use more economically 

 profitable to the individual farmer and to the country at large. The 

 present extent of occui)ation of the t3'pe and the possibilities for the 

 more extended use of each soil are also estimated. These circulars are 

 available for use in answering general or specific questions regarding 

 each soil. 



A corresponding stt of bulletins is in course of preparation, which 

 will discuss at greater length the essential facts which have been 

 learned through the extended study by this bureau of each of the 

 most important soil groups or series of the Eastern States. Each 

 bulletin will constitute a monograph u])on the origin, mode of forma- 

 tion, region of distribution, agi-icult ural occupation, best uses for 

 general and special crops, and the results now obtained from the 

 various members of each soil series. It will also discuss the funila- 

 mental scientific reasons which are found to underlie the variations 

 in crop adaptation to soils because of dilferences in the original 

 sources of the soil-forming materials, their mode of deposition, their 

 differences in essential inherent |)r<ipe!lies. and th<' diU'erences which 

 arise from attendant dill'crences in utilization and soil management. 



Both of these classes of jiublications are intended to summarize the 

 vast amount of useful information which has been secured in the 



