34 PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. — SECTION II. 



if not preceded, by a study of the soils of each locahty on the 

 basis of their physical i"esemblances, coupled with the natural 

 distribution of their indigenous flora. 



We have not been able to do all this in the Cape Colony, because 

 the entire work of investigating the Colony's soils has always 

 been allocated to one solitary man, and even then it has been 

 subject to constant interruption. The United States Department 

 of Agriculture, fifteen years ago, devoted an entire Bureau to 

 the exclusive work of studying the soil. Besides the Chief of the 

 Bureau and his chief clerk, its scientific staff comprises six sections, 

 each in charge of a professional officer : one of these superintends 

 the physical and chemical investigations of the soil, another the 

 fertility investigations, and a third the work in connection with 

 soil erosion ; then one is occupied with the subject of soil utilisa- 

 tion, another with soil management, and last of all there is one in 

 charge of the soil survey. These have each their respective quota 

 of assistants, while, in addition, the work of the soil survey main- 

 tained twenty parties of two men each in the field during 1904. 

 Ten years after its establishment, the staff, originally numbering 

 ten, had increased to 127, including 83 scientists and soil experts, 

 13 tobacco experts, and 29 clerks and other employes, and then 

 the staff was found inadequate for one-half the demands made 

 upon it for investigations along its special lines.* 



Someone asks : " What is the use of a soil survey ? " The reply 

 is best given from the words of Professor Milton Whitney. Chief 

 of the United States Bureau of Soils : 



'■ From its surveys " (he says) " the Bureau is steadily accumulating a 

 great mass of information about the various soils found in dilterent parts of 

 the country. This will soon enable it to state accurately what soils are best 

 adapted to the production of different kinds of cotton, tobacco, corn, wheat, 

 and other staple crops. In manj^ localities crops are being grown on soils 

 which are not adapted to them. Thus in many States attempts are being 

 made to grow wheat on soils so sandy that only a very low yield can be 



obtained In the mountain fruit districts of our Southern 



States certain soils are not only adapted to certain fruits, as apples, peaches, 

 grapes, etc., but distinct soils are recognised as best adapted to single varieties 

 of these fruits. 



" An example is the mountain soil .... which in ^'irginia is called 

 ' Pippin land,' because the celebrated Albemarle Pippin does better on it 

 than on any other soil. With the present system of classification and know- 

 ledge of these mountain soils and their adaptation to different varieties of 

 fruits, the Bureau's soil survey parties can enter any of the mountain areas 

 of our Eastern States and quickly and accurately distinguish the good fruit 

 lands from the poor 



" The investigation of important agricultural industries which have been 

 developed on soils with certain characteristics enables the Bureau of Soils 

 to recommend safely the introduction of such industries in other localities 

 where similar soils and climatic conditions prevail. An example of this is 

 the mountain peach industry of Western ^laryland. It was found that 

 peaches of superior quality and flavour could be grown on some of the stony 

 foothill soils of that section which were worthless for general farming purposes. 

 The peaches grown here ripen in season to be placed on the market at a time 

 when the supply from other localities is small and prices correspondingly 

 high. Upon extending the soil survey into other parts of ^larylancl and into 

 the adjoining State of \^irginia the Bureau of Soils was able to recommend 

 the introduction of the mountain peach industry in a number of places where 



* U.S. Dept. of Agric. Bureau of Soils Circ, No. 13. revist 



d, V. I. 



