Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1911-10-08 | Page 22 | Uncle Sam's Plan of Surveying the Soil

UNClE UCLE SAMS SAM'S PlAN Of J I- I SURVEYING THE Iff SOil Fifty Men Are Kept ept Busy the Year Round Bound in the Interest of Agriculture Washington J Oct 7 There There are surveyors sur sur- vc and ors and surveyors Uncle Sam Sam emlo's employs em em- ploys los lo's several varieties of them He has a at t force of ot surveyors sur con constantly stu studying and mapping the tho coasts and marine waters wa wa- va- va lers of the tile United States He has an another another another an- an other force under the geological survey sur sur- sur-I sur vey e s studying u geological con conditions mineral and the topography of or orthe the tho country A third group biological biological ical surveyors under the agricultural department stud study birds and animals Still SUll another is composed of ot arm army engineers en en- en- en who examine rivers and harbors harbors harbors har har- bors with a a. view to their improvement ement The Tho fifth and perhaps the tho least hast known Is 28 the soil survey There Is in tile agricultural department depart depart- ment meat a bureau of ot soils which keeps a force of fifty surveyors bus busy tho year ear round in the field studying so soils Us and snapping mapping them just as ordinary geographical geo eo graphical features are mapped rhe They are now at work in the northern states boring several feet deep at Intervals Intervale testing the soil soU and the tho sub- sub noil oil collecting samples of or soils solis which I are chemically analyzed at the department depart depart- ment and determining where It Is best to plant fruits where grains and so 80 on This information is distributed gratis to farmers and has been of great value to 10 o them In the winter the soil surveyors go go couth where the they can work by the cold id The c They are cover cover- l the country countr with minute attention Ito to detail at Qt the rate of ot square miles relIes a a. year The They have already alre surveyed surveyed sur sur- in detail square miles of the total land Jand area of ot the countr country of ot about miles mUes Besides this they have made reconnaissance surveys of o o square 3 I n miles I A general a EUrn survey 01 Cl IL I C win VIII ue Ut next winter of ot a a. wide strip from Canada to Mexico through the tho dry farming bolt In the Dakotas Nebraska Kansas J Oklahoma and Texas The Tile result of ot this Is expected to be a cover of or suitable crops throughout this region of little rain which will be made to thrive under un un- der Intensified farming methods thus affording opportunity to increase the food supply an and 1 lower the cost of liv liv- tag ing The soil surveyors are working at ome some time during the year In nearl nearly every state In the Union The Tho value alue and end popularity of or their work Is testified tIed fied to b by scores of ot congressmen and thousands of their rural constituents who are ate dally daily b besieging the soil soli bu bureau bureau hu- hu reau with requests for surveys of ot their particular sections The capacity of or a the soil surveying sur bureau Is 18 being gradually doubled In effect b by tho the perfecting of or arran arrangements for cooperation cooperation cooperation op co between Uncle Sams Sam's survey survey- ors ore and state officers engaged in simi aim Ilar I- I lar work The soil survey was established in 1901 and Is blazing Its own trail no such Buch work having cr C been done b before before be- be fore toro In the world except on a. a laboratory laboratory labor labor- atol atory scale Milton Whitney is head of ot the bureau but its bright particular star atar is W W. J J J. McGee an expert of ot worldwide worldwide worldwide world world- wide reputation friend of oC Roosevelt an and Pinchot and pioneer conservation conservation- is I. I