The Value of Soil Survey as a Basis for Soil Studies and Soil Use

Those vho have attempted to employ the soil survey as a basis for soil studies and soil use have found it to be of great value; yet it is no doubt true that the 'field work o~f the soil survey has not been exploited to its fullest extent in these lines. It is our judgment that in the future investigators working in the "fields of Horticulture, Farm Crops, Farm Management, Livestock production and Agricultural Economics will make much greater use" of the soil survey than is being done at present. It is probably well recognized that there is still a great need for continuous and systematically organized observations and studies of the physical, chemical and biological properties of the various horizons of the several soil types that have been mapped. It seems that such is essential if many of the results of our efforts are to be correlated and duplication reduced to the minimum and it is recognized, by some at least, that this is the only way that the work may be systematized. Doubtless there are those who are interested in the development of soil science and in order to accomplish this it is obviously necessary that considerable of our ef for t s will not be concerned with the immediate practical aspects.