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Soil Surveys in the United States, [april, 



The task of examining and recording the nature and character 

 ■of the soil, which is the work of a " soil survey," has been 



undertaken in several Continental 

 Soil Surveys in the countries, such as Germany, Belgium, 

 United States. and France, and its value as a means of 



assisting agriculturists in judging of the 

 manurial needs of the soil has frequently been urged in this 

 •country. An attempt was made some years ago by the Uni- 

 versity College of Reading to analyse samples of soil taken 

 from districts in Dorset in such a way as to represent the 

 various geological formations in the country and to be typical 

 of considerable areas of land. Reports were drawn up giving the 

 results of the analyses and suggestions for manuring. Apart, 

 however, from local efforts of this character, the only basis 

 for soil maps existing in this country is the " drift " maps of the 

 •Geological Survey, which show the superficial deposits of clay, 

 alluvium, gravel, &c, which overlie the solid formations. 

 For England and Wales a large number of drift maps on the 

 i in. scale have been published, but these are believed to be too 

 small to admit of the necessary detail. The publication of 

 maps on the 6-in. scale is restricted to mining areas, though the 

 manuscript maps on this scale are available for copying or for 

 reference. 



In the United States, on the other hand, the work of the 

 Soil Survey, which was begun in 1899, has been rapidly 

 pushed forward, but it may be noted that in a comparatively 

 new country the work partakes to some extent of the nature of 

 an exploration and aims at showing the capacities of the land 

 for new crops and industries, whereas in an old and highly 

 cultivated country the suitability of the soil for different crops 

 has become known through local experience. 



According to an article by Mr. J. A. Bansteel in The Year 

 Book of the United States Department of Agriculture for 

 1906, some 76,000,000 acres, or about one-tenth of the farm 

 area, has been mapped out. The Survey recognises at present 

 13 great soil provinces, 58 soil series, and 461 soil types. Of 

 these types some 130 are more or less local in character, while 

 the remainder are of widespread occurrence. The soils are 

 examined to determine (1) their texture, or the relative amounts 

 of coarse or fine particles of which they consist ; (2) their 



