THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 347 



It is for these reasons, and to furnish a basis for future study and 

 experimental work, that the soil survey was started and our active 

 operations along this line in this State now are to place fruit growing 

 and other forms of agriculture on a more stable basis, and to make 

 the observations of scientific discovery more valuable. We have en- 

 countered about forty series or different groups of soil in the area 

 under discussion, each group containing several types or kinds of 

 soil. Each of the hundred or more types or kinds of soil possesses cer- 

 tain mineralogical, biological, chemical, organic or physical properties 

 peculiar to itself, and study and observation indicate that many of these 

 factors, singly or in combination, are of sufficient magnitude in most of 

 the types to determine the kinds of fruit to which they are best adapted. 

 The exercise of greater intelligence in fruit production in the future 

 will bring forth a greater demand for quality and then the influence 

 of the soil type Avill become more prominent. It will be noted, as has 

 already been done in numerous instances, that each kind of soil is 

 best suited to a particular variety or varieties of fruit, and each variety 

 will reach its highest quality only when grown in a definite soil en- 

 vironment. Hence, the necessity of knowing the limits and bounds 

 of the different kinds of soil in order that we might Avork to this end. 



A more general recognition of the individuality of soils and fuller 

 realization of the true meaning of soil differences is greatly needed. 

 Much time and money have been wasted in trying to grow the same 

 variety of fruit on entirely dissimilar soils, and many of the seemingly 

 unexplainable results obtained were undoubtedly due to funda- 

 mental soil differences which would have been evident had the soil 

 factor been given proper consideration. An example to illustrate this 

 was recently brought to my attention. An elaborate chemical examina- 

 tion was made in one of the states of a number of varieties of fruit 

 to find out what influence irrigation had as compared with non-irriga- 

 tion on the various qualities of the fruit. The samples of fruit were 

 collected from all parts of the State, and certain results were obtained 

 which were attributed solely to the amount of water given the trees 

 and no attention was paid whether the soils on which the fruits were 

 grown were highly calcareous, high or low in humus, highly fertilized 

 or not, soils of naturally high or low fertility, or the amount of sun- 

 shine present in the different places Avhen the fruit was ripening. 



The soil environment in which a variety has been developed, whether 

 it be a clay or a sand, calcareous or acid, high or low in humus and 

 plant food, humid or arid, determines largely the quality of the fruit 

 and the kind of habitat in which the variety may be expected to 

 thrive best, if transferred to a new home. To illustrate: If we are 

 contemplating moving a certain variety of fruit from a clay from 

 one part of the great interior valley to some other part, we must 

 first carefully examine the soil on which the variety has been grow- 

 ing and giving good satisfaction, and then we must find a clay of 

 similar characteristics for the new abode. Any clay will not do, 

 because there are calcareous clays, others with only a moderate to 

 small amount of lime present, some unusually high in humus, others 

 moderate to low, some with a calcareous hardpan not far below the 

 surface, others with a funginous hardpan, and others with no hardpan 

 at all. Some are poorly drained, some affected with alkali, some 

 naturally well drained and which have been in a good condition for 



