REPORT OF THE CHIEF OF THE DIVISION OF SOILS. 



U. S. Department of Agriculture, 



Bureau of Soils, 

 Washington, D. C. , August 25, 1901. 

 Sir : I have the honor to transmit herewith a report upon the work 

 of the Division of Soils for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1901. 

 Respectfully, 



Milton Whitney, 



Chief. 

 Hon. James Wilson, Secretary. 



WORK OF THE YEAR, WITH RECOMMENDATIONS. 

 ORGANIZATION. 



The organization of the Division has been essentially the same as 

 heretofore. The principal lines of work have been confined to the 

 administrative office, the laboratory of soil physics, the laboratory of 

 soil chemistry, the soil survey of the Eastern division, the soil survey 

 of the Western division, and the tobacco investigations. In the 

 Bureau organization, which has been perfected, these lines of work 

 are all maintained as divisions, and several other lines are under 

 consideration, to be maintained as divisions, as will appear in my 

 recommendations for the coming fiscal year. 



The reorganization of this Division into a Bureau of Soils, with a 

 large increase of funds and a corresponding enlargement of the oppor- 

 tunities for work, did not go into effect until July 1, 1901; but as $10,000 

 had been made immediately available, it was possible to proceed at once 

 with the gradual adoption of the plans which thus occupied fully six 

 months of the fiscal year for which this report is intended. During 

 this entire period the work went on without interruption, and indeed 

 was facilitated and broadened in every way. 



This reorganization of the Division was a substantial recognition of 

 the value and importance of its work, as well as of the necessity for 

 extending the soil survey and tobacco investigations to other States 

 and of giving larger salaries to experts, in order to maintain the high- 

 est efficiency and to insure the most valuable results. 



PROGRESS AND COST OF THE SOIL SURVEY. 



The area surveyed and mapped during the fiscal year was 5,596 

 square miles, or 3,581,440 acres, and the area previously reported as 

 having been surveyed was 3,486 square miles, making a total of 9,082 

 square miles, or 5,812,480 acres. Field work was carried on during 

 the year in California, Maryland, Michigan, New York, North Caro- 

 lina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia, and Washington ; and prepa- 

 rations were all made for field work to be started in Idaho, New Jersey, 



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