M.— AGRICULTURE 243 



for its study and classification, though a great advance on what went 

 before, are of very recent origin and no doubt further great progress will 

 be made as a result of the intensive studies to which soils are now being 

 subjected in many lands. 



In the above sketch I have merely referred to one or two features of the 

 Russian soil philosophy which appear to me to be outstanding and have 

 not ventured to tax your patience with details which can be found in 

 modern text-books. With the new enthusiasm for soil study and research 

 we have a new crop of books on the subject. At the beginning of this 

 century there was hardly a text-book on soils to be found in English, now 

 there are many both by English and American authors, and in the past 

 ten years there have been quite a number in which the modern views of soil 

 formation and classification are given, and more are constantly appearing. 

 Much of the Russian soil science is at present remote from agricultural 

 practice. It is curious that in spite of their theories of Government and 

 of five-year plans for the rapid practical improvement of the condition of 

 the people, the Russians are the champions of pure soil science, of the 

 view that our study of soils should proceed without reference to any use 

 that may be made of such knowledge for the service of agricultural 

 practice, or for the production of wealth from the soil. It is difficult for 

 British and Americans to dissociate soils from their agricultural use and to 

 regard them are a pure subject of scientific research studied solely for the 

 increase of abstract knowledge. Still , it is no doubt the correct method, so 

 long as it is not carried to extremes, and we are greatly indebted to the 

 Russian School for giving us a fresh start and new methods of attack. 



The fundamental importance of soil moisture has been known for ages. 

 Without water crops cannot grow, and with excess of moisture we get 

 marsh or swamp and our ordinary crops are drowned out. A proper 

 supply of moisture is more important to crops than all the fertilisers put 

 together. In the modern theory of soil formation and classification the 

 important part played by water is recognised. The two important 

 factors in climate, those which do most to determine what the soil is to 

 be, are the supply of water and the temperature. In considering water 

 supply it is not sufficient to consider the rainfall — the humidity, the 

 distribution of the rainfall and the topography all enter into the picture. 

 A rainfall which is sufficient to wash through the soil and leach away 

 soluble constituents in a cool humid climate, may all be re-evaporated and 

 leave nothing to wash through the soil in a warm climate with a dry 

 atmosphere. Again, if all the rain falls at one season of the year a part of it 

 may seep through the soil and escape as drainage water, while if the same 

 rainfall is distributed throughout the year so much may be re-evaporated 

 that there will be none to escape as drainage. 



Considering the importance in soil formation of water which passes 

 through the soil, and of the amount and nature of materials in solution 

 and suspension which are washed away by such water, or removed by it 

 to lower layers of the soil, and the importance to soil fertility of the rela- 

 tions of the soil to water, and of the economic importance of drainage in 

 connection with the loss of nitrogen, lime and other manurial constituents 

 from the soil, it has always been a matter of surprise to me that more use is 



