Journal op the Department op Agriculture. 



A Soil Survey of the Union. 



Farmers are aware that an enormous amount of research has 

 been carried out for years past by officers of the Department in con- 

 nection with the analyses of the many types of soil found throughout 

 the Union and the problems connected therewith. The results of the 

 analyses and the lessons arising therefrom have been published from 

 time to time, but the work has hitherto not been carried out on any 

 systematic basis or under a paramount control embracing all effort 

 and guiding it to the fruition of a single aim — the complete sui*A^ey 

 of the agricultural soils of the Union. The need for carrying out 

 this object has been advocated for many years, and it is patent to all 

 that its fulfilment will mark one of the great epochs in the forward 

 movement of agriculture in South Africa. It is pleasing to say, 

 therefore, that a definite stage has been reached in the furtherance 

 of a scheme of such importance to the country, for emerging from the 

 labours of the past there is every likelihood that a commencement 

 will be made at an early date of the great work of collating, indexing, 

 and bringing into one connected system the data already available, 

 and inaugurating the first step in a systematic soil survey of the 

 Union. Making the fullest use of past investigations, future work 

 will be carried out under a clearly defined programme calculated in 

 time to cover the whole country. And this definite stage in the 

 movement may be said to be the result of the conference of chemists 

 of this Department, held at Pretoria on the 18th November last, for 

 the purpose of discussing the subject of a soil survey and of formu- 

 lating proposals in regard thereto. At this conference the following 

 resolutions, among others, were passed: — 



(1) That a soil survey is desirable as the basis of the agricul- 



tural development of the country, in order to indicate the 

 agricultural potentialities of different localities. 



(2) That the scope of the survey should include soil classifica- 



tion, which, to be of the largest value, must effect the 

 accurate separation of materials with reference to all 

 important agricultural differences. It should therefore 

 embrace the following heads : — 



(1) Careful survey of the country with the view of 



delimiting the areas covered by the various types of 

 soils, and including the construction of large-scale soil 

 maps. 



(2) The field characteristics of such sojIs as regards depth, 



drainage, water capacity, aspect, climate, etc. 



(3) The physical, chemical, and biological investigation of 



the soil. 



(4) The botanical and agi icultural characters of the various 



soil types. 



(5) Field experiments on each type of soil in various 



parts of the Union. 



Matters concerning the use of information already available and 

 the machinery necessary for carrying out the survey were also 

 discussed. 



The matter is at present receiving the attention of the Govern- 

 ment, and we express our confidence that circumstances will permit 

 of the work being taken in hand at no distant date. 



