CYRIL GEORGE HOPKINS 



have shown that in bad seasons a crop may be grown on a 

 well treated field, whereas on a poorly treated or untreated 

 field no crop, or at most a very poor crop, will be grown. It 

 seems almost incredible that soil treatment could act as an 

 insurance against insects, drouth, and even against storms; 

 and yet I have seen fields in which the untreated parts were 

 so infested with insects that the normal yield was practically 

 cut in two, whereas on the treated fields — the properly treated 

 fields — a normal crop was produced. On fields on which there 

 had been almost no rainfall I have seen the crop entirely dead 

 on those parts of the field which had had no soil treatment, 

 whereas on those parts of the field which had received a 

 rational soil treatment the crop was not only living but was 

 producing a good yield. And following the hard wind and 

 rain storms we have in Illinois which beat the crops flat to 

 the ground, I have seen the crops on those parts of the fields 

 which received no treatment so flattened down that they could 

 never rise, while on those parts of the field which were re- 

 ceiving treatment the crops, while somewhat beaten down, 

 straightened up and made a good yield. I have seen these 

 things. 



One other line of activity was taken up by Doctor Hopkins 

 in his soil investigations, and that was the soil survey of Illi- 

 nois. Among the first questions which arose when the soil 

 investigations were begun were : What are the soils of Illi- 

 nois? What are the different kinds that are found here? 

 Where are the different kinds found, and what makes the dif- 

 ference between one kind and another? In order to answer 

 these questions the soil survey of the state was begun. County 

 by county the soils have been analyzed, the various types lo- 

 cated, and their boundaries definitely defined, and in the re- 

 ports of this survey is the key to the farmer to all the in- 

 formation obtained by Doctor Hopkins in his investigations. 

 Soil maps have been made which are so accurate that, know- 

 ing the range, the section, and the fraction of the section 



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