THE SOII, 3 



always numerous and interdependent, and are never (speaking 

 generally) exactly the same, so that each soil possesses marked 

 individuality. No matter how soils may be classified, as for 

 instance into provinces, series and types, 1 the fact remains that 

 the soil of the individual field has properties which give it a 

 crop-producing power, an adaptation to a specific crop or crop 

 rotation, or a responsiveness to cultural treatment, which can 

 not be anticipated in any other field. Consequently, there is no 

 possibility of reducing soil management or agriculture to the 

 state of an exact science. That is to say, scientific investigation 

 of the problems involved cannot be expected to yield absolute 

 results, although furnishing the best possible basis on which to 

 form judgments. Soil management, like other agricultural 

 practices, is an art, more or less well founded on scientific prin- 

 ciples, perhaps, but susceptible of much higher development as 

 the scientific principles involved become better understood. 



1 For definitions, see Soil Survey Field Book, 1906, Bureau of Soils, 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, pp. 15-24. On the ground that experience 

 has shown that genetic classifications are the ones which have' generally 

 persisted and proved the most useful, objection might be made to the 

 classification just cited. But a careful inspection of the results of the 

 Soil Survey by the U. S. Department of Agriculture will show that while 

 not categorically stating the fact, to all intents and purposes it has 

 employed a genetic classification. This is exemplified by the fact that its 

 delineation of soil provinces corresponds quite closely with the recognized 

 physiographic provinces of the United States. See map accompanying 

 Soils of the United States, by Milton Whitney, Bull. No. 55, Bureau of 

 Soils, U. S. Dept. Agriculture, 1909. 



