452 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1109 



at least its extension from the Sabine Elver to 

 Mobile Baj were definitely determined, and the 

 Coast Pliocene of the 1S60 map was changed to 

 Port Hudson. The results of these expeditions may 

 be summarized as follows: 



1. The outlining of the Mississippi Embayment 

 in Louisiana and Mississippi. 



2. The outline geological study and mapping of 

 these two states. He was the first to give a clear 

 and definite account of the origin and distribution 

 of the surface formation which he called the 

 Orange Sand, now known as Lafayette. He was 

 the first to give a definite account of the great 

 series of river and estuarine deposits, "the Grand 

 Grulf, " representing all geological time between 

 the Vicksburg and the Lafayette. 



3. The recognition of the Cretaceous Eidge, or 

 the backbone of Louisiana, and the determination 

 of the Cretaceous age of the rock-salt and sulphur 

 deposits of Calcasieu parish. 



4. The study of the exceptional features of the 

 Lower Mississippi delta and of the mud-lumps and 

 the definite correlation of the Port Hudson for- 

 mation. 



Probably no work has done more for the corre- 

 lation of the scattered accounts of the geology of 

 the southern states than the Cotton Culture Re- 

 ports of the Tenth Census prepared under the di- 

 rection of Dr. Hilgard. In these a summary of 

 the physical and geological features of each state 

 is first given. Then follow accounts of the agri- 

 cultural features and capabilities of the cotton 

 states, such as would be of interest to immi- 

 grants and investors, along with special descrip- 

 tions of each county, with soil maps and many soil 

 analyses; altogether the reports are reliable hand- 

 books of the cotton states as regards general and 

 agricultural information, and deserve to be more 

 widely known than they are. 



On coming to California in 1875 as pro- 

 fessor of agriculture in tlie state university, 

 Hilgard entered upon his greatest field of ac- 

 tivity; and from the very beginning, when he 

 laid the strong foundation for the college of 

 agriculture and experiment station of the Uni- 

 versity of California to the later years when 

 he witnessed the immense results of his labor, 

 he displayed the same remarkable energy, in- 

 domitable will and perseverance as well as the 

 hearty comradeship and readiness to help that 

 characterized his work in Mississippi and 

 which gained for him hosts of friends and sup- 



porters. He was always ready to give freely 

 of that great and varied store of information 

 of which he was possessed. 



Among his California activities there stand 

 out most prominently his studies on humid 

 and arid soils, and especially his researches 

 into the cause, occurrence and effect of alkali 

 salts upon vegetation, and the methods to be 

 used in neutralization and reclaiming alkali 

 land. He was the first to enter upon this field 

 of study, the results of which have been ex- 

 tensively quoted and his bulletins published in 

 other countries where alkali lands exist. 



His report on cotton production and the soil 

 regions and soil characteristics of the cotton- 

 producing states, made for the Tenth U. S. 

 Census and comprising two large quarto vol- 

 umes is a highly valuable work; and his book 

 of about 600 pages on " Soils " is also the 

 highest authority on arid and humid soils. 



The mind and hand of Hilgard were never 

 idle, and while engaged in solving old prob- 

 lems in relation to soil fertility and plant life 

 he was ever on the alert for new ones. The 

 results of his activity are shown, in the hun- 

 dreds of published articles in the station re- 

 ports, outside journals, both foreign and do- 

 mestic, government publications, etc. During 

 the thirty-five years of active service in the 

 University of California he allowed himself 

 but one vacation of a year and that was spent 

 abroad. A few weeks were given to a survey 

 along the northern transcontinental railroad 

 and a few weeks to a visit to his Mississippi 

 geological locations. 



While Hilgard was not the first to make a 

 soil survey and chemical analyses of soils he 

 was the first to interpret the results in their 

 relation to soil durability, fertility and crop 

 production. He was the first to maintain that 

 the physical qualities and chemical characters 

 of a soil go hand in hand in determining its 

 cultural value and he maintained that the 

 complex character of a soil demanded an in- 

 vestigation into its chemical, physical, min- 

 eral and biological characters if we would 

 understand it fully. His broad and thorough 

 scientific knowledge, his great work on soils 

 and his valuable publications brought him 



