MODERN SOIL SCIENCE—KELLOGG 241 
fertile soil in the world waiting only for the plow. But there is a great 
deal of unused land in the world that can be made productive through 
the application of modern science, land that is made up of thousands 
of unique types of soil. 
MODERN SCIENCE 
The great discoveries themselves owe much to modern science. An 
insignificant part of the bread grains of the world were grown on the 
black Chernozem soils of the subhumid grasslands when the Treaty of 
Westphalia was signed. Now these same black soils are contributing 
more than one-half the supply of bread grains to the world. Within 
some 250 years man has occupied these soils. At first he applied the 
old methods and the old traditions, with poor results. Then from 
modern science he received railroads, proper machinery, and power. 
Whereas 100 years ago most cities of importance in the world were 
located on Gray-Brown Podzolic soils, like those of the Ohio Valley 
and northwestern Europe, now there are great cities on the black soils 
and on the brown soils like them. In fact, the great modern army 
that stopped the Germans at Stalingrad was raised on these soils. 
Our early application of science to make a better adjustment 
between man and his environment was uneven. ‘The various sciences 
have developed unevenly, and they are applied unevenly in different 
parts of the world. Early attempts to build the Panama Canal 
showed the failure of engineering without medicine, and there are 
similar failures of engineering and medicine without improved hus- 
bandry. Soil depletion due to erosion in parts of Africa has followed 
attempts to buy the wares of the peddler before husbandry had im- 
proved the efficiency of agriculture. In fact, soil depletion through 
accelerated erosion, exhaustion of plant nutrients, accumulation of 
excess salts, and loss of mellow structure follow the decline of the 
people. The great opportunities for future development depend not 
on science alone but on a symmetrical science. 
Of course, some object to machines and the planning inevitable to 
the use of science. They talk about going back to nature. But 
obviously this would not be possible unless we were willing to do 
away with a large part of our population and with all our modern 
gadgets. Scientists, and agricultural scientists in particular, were 
blamed by some for the last great depression. It was said that if 
scientists had not developed all these new methods surpluses and low 
prices«would not have existed. Of course, this appears ridiculous to 
a scientist, since millions of people are in need of essential food and 
clothing for health. To the scientist surpluses are market phenomena 
within man’s control and due to imperfections that are subject to 
control. The good life requires abundance, and abundance depends 
upon the efficient use of all our knowledge. 
