BUREAU OF SOILS. 239 



bility of extending a number of existing irrigation projects. This 

 work was carried on from the middle of August until midwinter. 



The bureau also assisted the Bureau of Entomology of this depart- 

 ment in the examination of the soils of several areas in the grape- 

 growing sections of California, where the vineyards were suffering 

 from phylloxera. 



At the request of the American Geographical Society, in whose 

 charge was placed the work of the House Commission for the Accu- 

 mulation of Geographic and Economic Information concerning un- 

 developed or imperfectly developed parts of the world, information 

 relating to the soils of Africa and Asiatic Russia was compiled. A 

 generalized soil map of Africa, based on existing literature, was 

 prepared and transmitted to the State Department. 



At the request of the State Department, a party from the Soil Sur- 

 vey was sent in the spring of 1919 to Central America for the pur- 

 pose of making an economic survey of parts of Guatemala and Hon- 

 duras. The party finished its field work and returned to Washing- 

 ton in June. At the close of the year considerable progress had been 

 made in the preparation of a report covering the work done. An area 

 of about 12,000 square miles was examined. 



The African coinpilation and the studies made in Central America 

 not only supplied the information desired by the institutions re- 

 questing it, but also gave results of much value to the Soil Survey. 



An exhibit of the work of the Soil Survey was prepared during 

 the early part of the fiscal year, and during September and October 

 a man from the division, accompanied by reprevsentatives of certain 

 other bureaus of the department, visited a number of State fairs for 

 the purpose of presenting and explaining the work of the bureau. 

 During the latter part of tlie winter a more elaborate exhibit was pre- 

 pared. This was sent abroad for use in the field schools of agricul- 

 ture maintained in France for the benefit of American soldiers. 



Much advice and information by correspondence was given during 

 the year. This work was heavier than usual, owing to the country- 

 w^ide interest in war gardens, and involved the examination of a 

 large numl)er of samples of soil. 



The work of studying the truck soils of the eastern United States 

 continued during the year, with some interruptions caused by emer- 

 gency calls to other work, such as the preparation of the exhibits for 

 the fair circuits and for the American soldiers in France. The field 

 work in the Charleston area was completed and the report prepared 

 for publication. 



At the suggestion of the Railroad Administration the preparation 

 of a series of reports on the soils of certain of the Southern States 

 was begun, and on June 30 considerable progress had been made on 

 the initial report of the series. 



CHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS. 



During the fiscal year 1910 miscellaneous samples from other de- 

 partments, other bureaus of this department, outside institutions, and 

 private individuals have been analyzed or examined as usual. These 

 have included the alkali analyses of soils for the Geological Survey 

 and the Bureau of Standards, the examination of park soils for the 

 District government, cooperate tests of soils from the Arlington 



