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only for a season, not only for a score of years, but so long as the American farmer 
shall till American soil. 
F. K. Cameron, of the Bureau of Soils, IT. S. Department of Agriculture, protested 
against what lie understood to be a misapprehension by Mr. Hopkins of Bulletin No. 
22 of the Bureau of Soils. He explained that in the first place the bulletin was not 
intended to be a discussion of the fertility of soils; and in the second place the Bureau 
of Soils recognizes that good does come from the application of fertilizers. The 
question of the yield of the crop was made up of many factors, each of which affected 
the yield. He maintained that, if any progress was to be made in connection with 
this subject, it must be in connection with the study of the soil solution. 
As to the question, What can fertilizers do, the Bureau of Soils did not pretend to 
have fully and satisfactorily settled that question, but they know more about it than 
they did a few months ago. The factors involved in the question of soil fertility 
formed a subject for very serious study and were receiving very careful investiga- 
tion from the Bureau. Upon the studies thus far pursued, the Bureau had not ven- 
tured to make any premature announcement of results, although it was perfectly 
well satisfied that fertilizers do have a very recognizable effect, He regretted if any- 
thing reported by the Bureau had been misinterpreted. The Bureau was ready with 
all others to go forward in the investigation of the soil and to do whatever it could to 
obtain trustworthy results. . 
F. H. King, of the Bureau of Soils, U. S. Department of Agriculture, read the fol- 
lowing paper: 
Differences Between Four Southern and Four Northern Soils, and Improve- 
ments in Soil Management which these Differences Suggest. 
The soils of the South Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains east of the Mississippi are 
generally recognized as being strongly contrasted with the soils of the North and 
Middle West in their general present productive capacities. 
The Division of Soil Management of the Bureau of Soils of the U. S. Department of 
Agriculture has been making a comparative study in these contrasted regions, working 
this year with eight soil types, two each in North Carolina and Maryland and two 
each in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, with a view to ascertaining if recognizable funda- 
mental differences could be found which would suggest improvements in the methods 
of managing these soils to increase their productive capacities. Two suitable 2-acre 
areas, about 200 by 440 feet, on two soil types in each locality having recognized 
different productive capacities, were selected for these comparative studies, and on 
these areas, treated in every respect alike, corn and potatoes were grown, using the 
same seed for all and planting on the same date. 
To produce differences in yield on the same soil type for each locality, the 440-foot 
strips of land were divided crosswise into 20 subplats, which were treated in groups 
of 5, to one of which in each group nothing was added; to a second, 5 tons of stable 
manure; to a third, 10 tons; to a fourth, 15 tons; and to a fifth, 300 pounds of Acme 
guano. Each fertilization was thus repeated four times across the respective areas. 
The manure used was first brought together in a common pile, well mixed, and from 
there hauled to the two soil types, distributing it in such a way that each load was 
subdivided so that a proportionate part fell upon all subplats of a given soil type. 
The guano was bought in one lot and subdivided for the eight soil types. This was 
also true for the seed planted, "Iowa Gold Mine" being used for corn and "Rural 
New Yorkers" for potatoes. Corn occupied one-third of every subplat, potatoes one- 
third, and the middle one-third between the corn and potatoes was kept fallow and 
cultivated free from weeds with the areas under crop. 
Comparative physical and chemical as well as crop studies have been made on all 
of the different conditions of treatment of the eight soil types, and it is some of the 
results of these studies which we wish to bring to your attention, with the lessons 
they appear to teach regarding improvements in the management of Southern soils. 
Soil samples were taken from every subplat under the three-crop conditions once 
every week during the growing season up to August 24 for the surface foot; for the 
second foot samples were taken once in every two weeks, and for the third and 
fourth feet samples were taken at the start, in the middle of the growing season, and 
near the close. These samples of soil have all been so taken as to permit both the 
percentage and the absolute amounts of soil moisture to be computed under all of the 
