280 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL^TION BILL, 1924. 



COOPERATION WITH STATES. 



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Mr. Anderson. Ajo you now cooperating with all tho States that 

 have requested cooperation and are willing to cooperate in the matter 

 of finances as well a.s otherwise? 



Doctor VVniTNEV. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Anderson. You are now taking care of all the rec}uests ? 



Doctor Whitney. We are taking care of them but not as fully in ' 

 some cases as they would desire and not as fully as their appropria- 

 tions would warrant. 



Doctor M.VKBUT. The lack, if we may put it so, of full cooperation . 

 on the part of the bureau consists largely in our having to employ 

 cheaper men than the States employ in order to balance up the same 

 numoer of men that the States have. The States, as a rule, pay 

 higher salaries than we do and we employ a greater number of young, 

 inexperienced men to balance up the number of men the States put 

 in on cooperation. The deficit lies largely in that. i 



Mr. Anderson. What kind of people do you use in this work? ' 



Doctor Marbut. Agricultural college graduates or college gradu- 

 ates, usually agiicultural college graduates. We have a few men 

 from other colleges than agricultural colleges. 



Mr. Ander.son. Do they have to have any special training in 

 this kind of work ( 



Doctor Marbut. They have the special training they can get in | 

 this kind of work, but there is no pjjfice in the United States where 

 a man can get training enough for soil-survey work to go right in 

 the field and do perfect!^' satisfactory work without previous training. 

 He must learn to do it by doing. | 



Doctor Whitney. And it takes two years, at least, with the best ^ 

 man before he can be put in charge of a soil-survey part}'. 



Doctor Marbut. Yes; fully two years. 



Mr. Anderson. What do you pay men in the field ? 



Doctor Whitney. Our salaries range from SI, 320 to about S2,300. 



Doctor Marbut. I think there is no man in the field j^ctting^even 

 men who have been 20 yeai-s in the service — a salary of over S2,280. 

 Of course, they have an allowance for field expenses in addition. 



Mr. Ander.son. Under this reduction what do you propose to do ? 

 Will you diniinish your work in all the States or will you have to 

 cut some of them off { 



Doctor Whitney. We will probal)ly have to cut a number of 

 them oil"; we will probably have to icduce and also cut, because this 

 is a pretty heavy cut, you see. 



soil-survey maps. 



Mr. liucnANAN. Is the only result of this appropriation and this 

 cooperation the soil-survey maps you produce? 



Do(t»tr Whitney. Well, we produce the soil-survey maps and a 

 report. You are familiar with the report describing the character 

 of the soils ? 



Mr. MucHANw. It is attached to the maps? 



Doctor Whitney. Ves, sir. In addition to that the States are 

 interested because it gives them a basis for field experiments with 

 regard to varieties of crons. nu'thods of farming and fertilizer appli- 

 cation, it gives them a basis for studving that is h.xed and reliable. 



