44 
The Queensland Naturalist October, 1929- 
judge, Mrs. Ewart, decided that the entries should be 
divided into three classes: (1) vases, (2) small bowls,. 
(3) large bowls. First and second awards were made in 
each class. First places were allotted to Mr. F. Robinson.. 
Mr. D. Curtis, and Miss Grimes; seconds to Mrs. S. E. 
Curtis. Mrs. Comrie-Smith, and Miss Welsbv. This inno- 
vation was a great success, and attracted a lot of ad- 
miration from those present. The State* School Competi- 
tion had seven entries: Booyal, Bidwell, Yandina, and 
Caloundra from the North Coast; Thulimbah, from 
Granite Belt ; Russell Island and Mount Tamborine, from 
South Coast ; Lagoon Pocket entry did not arrive in time. 
These were judged by Mr. C. T. White and Dr. D. A. 
Herbert; Yandina, Thulimbah, and Russell Island being 
placed first in their respective districts. Prizes in this 
competition were donated by Mr. G. II. Barker. Photo- 
graphs of wild flowers and natural history subjects were 
shown by Mrs. H. Curtis, Messrs. R. L. Higgins, F. 
Robinson, C. Dornbusch, and others. The exhibition was 
one of the most successful yet held, and it is estimated 
that nearly a thousand people visited the show during 
the afternoon and evening. 
0 
THE MODERN ASPECT OF THE STUDY OF SOILS. 
By W. II. Bryan, I). Sc. 
(Department of Geology, Queensland University.) 
The study of soils is the youngest of the sciences and 
the oldest of the applied sciences. 
Ever since man first deserted his nomadic hunting 
life and settled on the land he has been interested in soils 
from the point of view of their productivity. As a result 
of the trials and errors of thousands of years he has built 
u]) an uncertain knowledge of the soil based on empirical 
laws. Even from the specially selected point of view of 
productivity the knowledge thus gained by experience 
is far from complete, as witness the many disastrous at- 
tempts at soldier settlements in this and other countries. 
It is only since the beginning of the present century 
that a definite attempt has been made to treat the study 
of soils as a science. This new science has been given 
a new name — “Pedology . ” The pedologist does not cofi- 
cern himself directly with the economic aspect of soils, 
but with their genesis and evolution. He studies the pro- 
cesses which are in operation in soils, the factors produc- 
ing those processes, and the end products of those- 
processes. 
