66 ADDRESSES 



relation of tile drainage to the different soil types and crop production thereon. 

 On some soil types drainage may not pay at all, while on others it does pay 

 remarkably; some may require the tile much closer together, or, on the other 

 hand, permit them much farther apart than on the average. Having secured 

 this information an investigator could tell with a reasonable certainty whether 

 or not and how, it would be profitable to tile-drain any given farm. 



Again, on the basis of this soil information and that derived from the climatic 

 and weather survey which is now available it would be entirely possible for a 

 field investigator to determine to a reasonable certainty regarding the sections 

 in which potatoes may be grown to the best advantage and to give very accurate 

 advice regarding this and the different methods of handling the crop under the 

 different soil and climatic conditions that obtain in the state. These and dozens 

 of other farm practice and farm management studies for which we already have 

 plans, some of which will be mentioned to you by Dr. Coffey in his address 

 regarding soils tomorrow, will be taken up just as fast as funds and men are 

 available. 



In this connection I would say it is our hope that the other Departments 

 of the Experiment Station will furnish men to take up agricultural survey 

 work in connection with problems related to their regular departmental 

 work. Indeed, we are thoroughly convinced that many of them, as also sim- 

 ilar Departments of all Experiment Stations, will eventually see the absolute 

 necessity of doing just such work as this before daring to try to interpret the 

 results of their experiments to the mass of the people of the state. 

 But, in the event they fail to do so, we shall not hesitate to go ahead just as 

 fast as possible.- Within the past week Director Thorne has asked us to con- 

 duct such an investigation regarding the use of manure, commercial fertilizers 

 and lime, and we shall undertake to do so. We have already started a corn 

 investigation of this character. We feel that there is no reason why the mass 

 of co-operative and private experiments which have been made all over the 

 state, under a hundred different conditions, may not now be studied in the light 

 of the information which will be available this coming year regarding Ohio's 

 soil, climate and the history of her agriculture, and conclusions be deduced 

 therefrom which will be of the greatest value to the general farming public. 



A GENERAL SOIL SURVEY OF OHIO. 



BY GEORGE N. COFFEY, 

 Department of Co-operation, Ohio Experiment Station. 



Mr. President, Gentlemen of the Board of Agriculture, and Gentlemen: 



It is indeed a pleasure to have the honor of addressing the members of 

 the State Board of Agriculture, an organization which, under the leadership 

 of its pushing, hard-working and efficient Secretary, is doing so much to advance 

 the cause of agriculture in this good State of ours. 



"A BOOST FOR OHIO." 



On the front of the program our Secretary suggested that this meeting be 

 made "a boost for Ohio." We believe in boosting Ohio. All of us ought to do 

 more of it. But at the same time we should not forget to work, else our 

 boosting may simply become boasting. We wish to present to you a new line 

 of work which we are undertaking, one which is essential to the proper conduct 



