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282 AGRICULTURAL APPR()PRL\T10N BILL, 1924. 



Mr. BrciLVNAN. My idea is that tho soil survey maps, as far as the 

 average farmer is concerned, are a failure. Of course, if they are 

 supposed to be for scientific men and for the experiment stations of 

 the States that is a difTerent proposition. If they are produced for 

 the purpose of enablini; the scieiitilic men and experiment stations 

 to fij^ure out the character of fertilizer needed for certain lands that 

 is another proposition, but for the uses of the ordinary farmer they 

 are a failure. 



Doctor Whitney. Take the ca.se of Baldwin County, Ala. Lontj 

 before that map was issued we had requests for 50 per cent more 

 than the law allowed us. We fjet 1.000 copies. That means that 

 the entire edition was exhausted in a week by reason of retjuests 

 that came to us from other parts of the country, not only requests 

 from farmers in Baldwin County, Ala., but requests from farmers in 

 Iowa. New York, or some other section of the country, farmers who 

 mav be tliinkinjic of moving. All of the department's cjuota goes to 

 incjuirers of that kind. Congres.smen have 2.000 copies and many of 

 them use their cpiota and many of them ask for more. 



Doctor Mahiut. Mr. Chairman, may I say a word ^ The timber 

 cruiser goes into a forest and maps the distribution of timber; he 

 makes a map of it and that map is published. On that map should 

 he necessarily, in order to perform his function, tell how to perform 

 the technical work of the milling of that lumber. The Geological 

 Survey goes — —- 



Mr. Buchanan (interposing). Certainly not, and that is hardly a 

 parallel case. 



Doctor Makbut. It is exactly the same thing. 



Mr. Buchanan. Xo; that is another proposition altogether. 



Doctor Mar BUT. The Geological Survey maps the geology of the 

 Tnited States; it shows the did'erent formations over the United 

 .States; it does not, however, go into a technical discussion of either 

 the quarrying of the different rocks for different purposes, for the 

 mining or for utilization at all. It is a fundamental thing, and the 

 same is true of the soil survey. It is a fundamental thing to be 

 used as a basis for furtiier work. 



Mr. Bucilvnan. I would not be surprised if there were not a great , 



many maps published at the expense of the United States which, so | 

 far as practical use is concerneo, are failures. I do not mean that ' 



scientilK- men and scientific colleges would not make good use of 

 them, but from my knowled*'e of the soil survey maps 1 do not believe 

 that the average farmer malves use of them; at least he does not in 

 my kcction. and he does not in my county. That may be true as to 

 fore,stry maps and as to Geological Survey maps, but as far as the 

 average nian is concerned they are of no use; out from a scientific 

 standpoint, 1 suppose, they are all right, and it takes a scientist to 

 UMdt'i'>taM(l them. 



Doctor Makbct. If, however, the results reach the farmei-s through 

 the experiment stations, is that any argument against the funda- 

 mental work ( 



Mr. Bi ( HANAN. 1 a(lmitte«l that to start with. 



Doctor Whitnkv. You understand that the reason you got those 

 2.000 copies was because the law says you shall have that many. We 

 have Jiothing to do with it. 



Mr. Br( HA.NAN. 1 am not making any particular complaint about 

 that, but my idea is that if they are for the use of the general farmer 



