REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Soils, 

 Washington, D. C, August 11, 1916. 

 Sir: I have the honor to transmit herewith a report covering the 

 operations of the Bureau of Soils for the fiscal year ended June 30, 

 1916. 



Respectfully, Milton Whitney, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. D. F. Houston, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



SOIL SURVEY. 



PROGRESS OF THE WORK. 



During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1916, detailed soil survey 

 work was carried on in 75 different areas, some of them being com- 

 pleted as projects during the year, others begun and partially com- 

 pleted. These areas were distributed over 32 States, the maximum 

 number of areas or projects in any one State being 6. The total 

 area covered was 38,671 square miles, or 24,749,440 acres. Recon- 

 noissance soil survey work was carried on in two States, 8,334 square 

 miles being covered. The total area covered by detailed soil surveys 

 from the beginning of the work to June 30, 1916, amounts to 408,600 

 square miles, or 261,504,000 acres, while the area covered by recon- 

 noissance soil surveys amounts to 484,312 square miles, or 309,959,6S0 

 acres. 



The study of the relation of soils to crops has been in progress 

 since the inception of the soil survey work. It has been carried on 

 by the soil survey field men during the progress of the soil mapping, 

 the data being obtained through such correlation of the soil with 

 crop yields and character as they were able to make by observation. 

 The results have been discussed in a general way in the several soil 

 survey reports. 



It was recognized from the beginning of the work that the prefer- 

 ences shown by plants for different soils should be used as guides and . 

 suggestions in soil utilization. The need of a more intensive 

 study of this relation and a more thorough sifting of the results 

 obtained was recognized several years ago, and work was started on 

 such a study, selecting as the first project the soils on which truck 

 crops are being grown in an intensive way. This work has been in 

 progress for the last two years. The field work for the study of the 

 trucking soils of certain typical areas in New Jersey was completed 

 early in the year and the material was prepared for publication during 

 the winter. During the rest of the field season work has been in 

 progress in the vicinity of Norfolk, Va. 



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