MICHICAN ACADK.MV OK SCIKNCK. 83 



the undesirable oiks tliosi- found for the most part in regions of great 

 relief. The physical and chemical characteristics of soils are much 

 less significant than the attitude of the surface on wliich they lie. Tlie 

 dissected margins of areas of Springfield soils, in general the most 

 desirable residual type of the region, are in man}^ places as unproductive 

 as is the poorest Clarksville land, the least used soil of the region. The 

 two types in general are strongly contrasted because most of the Spring- 

 field soil is on level prairies, tlie rock-formation from which the Clarks- 

 ville is derived, however, expressing itself principally in rough hill- 

 sides. Low-lying solution basins in tracts of Howell soil, generally 

 second-class land, furnisli farming areas as choice as can be found in 

 the Ozarks. The most important thing about the residual soils, there- 

 fore, is their depth, which in turn is dependent on the topographic ex- 

 pression of the rock-formation from which they are derived and the 

 l)osition of the area with reference to drainage lines. In Osage County, 

 excepting the loess lands, the type of soil is not so significant in determin- 

 ing the value of land, as is the slope of the surface. Parts of the Union 

 soil are worth as much as 50 dollars an acre on the level uplands. Near 

 tlie rivers, however, where dissection has been extensive, this soil forms 

 some of the cheapest land in the county, worth five dollars an acre and 

 less. In Pulaski County, situated in the interior of the Ozarks, land 

 values have little relation to soil types, with the exception of the alluvial 

 lands, which have satisfactory depth because of tlieir position. Prices 

 on the ui:)land are determined almost entirely by the amount of dis- 

 section, and the distinction of soil types for practical jiurposes becomes 

 almost a matter of indifference."* 



6). An agricultural survey offers an unusual o))portunity for the 

 practical application of climatic studies. The usual meteorological tables 

 mean very little to the average reader. They should be condensed to 

 the minimum amount of statistical material and for the rest replaced 

 by a brief interpretation of the climate. Average length of growing 

 sea.son, frequency of unseasonable frosts, depth of frost action, amount 

 and duration of snow cover, distribution of rain during growing season, 

 frequency of droughts and rainy "spells" at critical periods, intensity 

 of precipitation, occurrence of hail and violent wind storms — these and 

 other topics will readily suggest themselves as appro})riate objects of 

 inquiry. Official weather records may be amplified by the weather ex- 

 periences of the farmer, who is a valuable observer if not a satisfactory 

 theorist. Local data regarding the relation of topography to frosts are 

 available in many places. 



*Author's maniiscript "The Ozark Hi-rlilaiul of Missouri." 



