SOIL SCIENCE 127 



In a country without an agricultural population or developed 

 transport, soil and ecological surveys are of great value in indicat- 

 ing the lines of development, as was the case in the early days of 

 exploration in the Canadian Middle West. In most of Africa, how- 

 ever, there have been populations for many centuries, and long 

 before British occupation the good soils had been discovered and 

 developed. A soil survey made at this date can hardly be expected 

 to do more than confirm and enlarge the knowledge already gained 

 in other ways. 



The value of soil surveys lies not in their immediate practical 

 application, but in the data which can be obtained from them on 

 the fundamental qualities of the soil: these data will clearly be of 

 increasing importance as changes take place under the influence 

 of agricultural development. 



ORGANIZATION AND RESULTS 



BRITISH 



Before giving a sketch of the work which is progressing in each 

 of the territories, central research institutions will be described. 



The Imperial Bureau of Soil Science in Great Britain serves as a 

 central organization for Empire soil science. Being associated 

 with the Rothamsted Experimental Station under Sir John Rus- 

 sell, it is in the closest touch with modern research in Europe. 

 Like the other Imperial Agricultural Bureaux [see Chapter XI) 

 it does valuable work in collating literature on a world-wide basis, 

 abstracting all important papers and bringing them to the notice 

 of imperial and foreign workers through the medium of Soils and 

 Fertilizers, a bi-monthly journal circulated to all British institu- 

 tions in Africa concerned with the study of the soil. In addition, 

 special subjects such as soil erosion, tropical crop production, and 

 lateritic soils have been treated separately in technical communica- 

 tions from the bureau (Imperial Bureau of Soil Science 1930-8). 



The Rothamsted Experimental Station at Harpenden is one of the 

 foremost centres for soil research in the world, and also serves as a 

 training centre. Many of the Empire soil chemists have either been 

 trained there or have attended special courses. Empire agricultural 

 officers meet annually at Rothamsted, on a convenient date in June, 



