REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE BUREAU OF SOILS. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Soils, 

 Washmgton, D. C, September 20, 1902. 



Sir: I have tlie honor to transmit herewith a report upon the work 

 of the Bureau of Soils for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1902. 

 Respectfully, 



Milton Whitney, 



Chief of Bureau. 

 Hon. James Wilson, Secretary. 



work of the year, with recommendations. 



Organization. 



The organization and work of the Bureau of Soils have been along 

 essentially^ the same lines as heretofore, with the addition of an imi)or- 

 tant line of work in the division of soil management. Attention has 

 been given, as heretofore, to the administrative work, the soil survey, 

 the tobacco investigations, di-ainage investigations, and the laborato- 

 ries maintained in supiDort of these several lines of field work. The 

 wisdom of Congressional action in converting the Division into a 

 Bureau and largely increasing the appropriation has been shown in 

 the amount of work done and in the cordial appreciation of this work 

 from various sources. The soil survey, particularly, lias been greatly 

 extended, and the division of soil management, although merely started 

 during the year, gives promise of some more impoi'tant results than 

 have been achieved in soil investigations for some time past. Prof. 

 Franklin H. King, formerly j)rofessor of agricultural physics at the 

 University of Wisconsin, has taken charge of this line of field work. 

 He is considered peculiarly fitted for this place, and his appointment 

 has been very generally commended. 



During the year Mr. M. L. Floyd, the tobacco expert who had done 

 so much to make successful the tobacco investigations of the Bureau, 

 severed his connection with the Department to become general mana- 

 ger of a tobacco corporation organized to grow the shaded Sumatra 

 tobacco in Connecticut, an industry established by this Department. 

 In his new position, Mr. Floyd receives far greater remuneration for 

 his services than the Department could afford to pay, in view of the 

 salaries paid to others by the Government. 



The interest in the work of the Bureau of Soils is growing rapidly, 

 and the demands for work in different parts of the country are increas- 

 ing, as evidenced by the liberality of Congress in enlarging the api^ro- 

 priation and by the many requests received for the extension of the 

 different lines of investigations. The Bureau of Soils now has a force 



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