DEMAND FOR SOIL MAPS

Mr. HART. Do you have much demand from the dirt farmers for maps?

Dr. MCCALL. In reply to your question and that of Mr. Sinclair, I would like to read into the record a short statement from the North Carolina Experimental Station, which I think summarizes the practical every-day use to which a soil survey is put in connection with assistance to farmers.

Mr. HART. You may put that in the reocrd.

Dr. McCALL. This statement answers both questions. It reads as follows:

At the present time a great many definite and serious problems are confronting farmers of North Carolina. But perhaps none other is of as great economic importance in the long run as is that of the conservation and building up of the productiveness of their soils in the most economic way. In order to carry on soil fertility investigations systematically and logically in the State, it is necessary to have the different types of soil mapped and examined. The mapping and analyzing of the soils are as basic to soil investigations as the carrying on of the field experimental work, because it will not be possible to put out and conduct the field work intelligently and then apply the results secured rationally unless one knows the soil conditions in different localities of the State. The soil survey furnishes the very data that is needed in applying the results of the field investigations.

North Carolina was one of the first States in the Union to take up the study of its soils in a systematic way. In this State all experimental work in soil fertility and crop improvement is conducted strictly with reference to soil type. At first, the larger and more important types of soil were selected for the location of the branch station farms and outlying experimental fields. Later on, as rapidly as funds are made available for carrying on the work, the investigations are to be extended to a study of the needs of other agricultural soil types of the State that occur in less extended areas. It can readily be seen that working under such a plan, that after definite information has been secured from the field, the results may generally be applied to most all the farms located on the same type of soil, matters not how widely separated within the State the soils of the same type may be from the one on which the experiments were conducted.

The following are some of the ways in which the work of the Soil Survey has proven valuable in the agricultural work being carried on by the State and Federal Governments in North Carolina:

1. It provides research workers, county agents and extension workers with definite first-hand reliable information with reference to the kinds of soil and the general agricultural conditions existing in the county and section in which they are working.

2. It provides all agricultural workers with a definite and safe basis on which to apply results that have been secured in experimental work on different types of soil. For example: Let us suppose that John Smith buys a farm in Scotland County. On referring to the soil survey report of that county he finds that the soil type on which his farm is located is Norfolk sandy loam. From the soil survey report, he will learn, too, what crops have been found and are considered to be best adapted to this type of soil. He may also get a very good general idea from the report as to the best system of crop rotation to adopt and of the methods of cultivation and fertilization to use with the different crops he may be planning to grow. By inquiring of the Department of Agronomy of the State Experiment Station, State College Station, Raleigh, he will find that on this same type of soil in Edgecombe County, a branch station farm has been established and that fertilizer and other experiments are being conducted there, in fact have been going on there for a good many years. From bulletins issued, giving results of these experiments, copies of which he may secure without cost upon request, he will be able to learn what are the general deficiencies of his soil and what he had best use in the way of commercial fertilizer mixtures in order to secure the best paying results. For instance, with cotton and corn, which are two of the main crops being grown on the Norfolk series of soil at the present time in the State. In addition to this information which he may secure from the publications mentioned, he may also obtain other publications from the same source, giving the

results of variety tests of corn, soybeans, peanuts, cotton, small grain, and other crops that are grown generally in the section in which he has recently located. 3. Frequently farmers have been met who were living on a certain type of soil and who were spending their time and money experimenting on some problem which had been worked out many years before by some one connected with the experiment station. Both of these might have been saved had they known that certain results published by the station for their types of soil had been obtained and were directly applicable to their farms.

4. Many times a farmer in writing to the Agronomy Department for information wants to describe his soil. If a soil-survey report for his county is available, it is invaluable in this respect. Where a soil-survey report has been made of the county from which an inquiry comes, it is not only possible to tell the type of soi! if the location of the farm is given, but it is also possible to advise intelligently and reliably with reference to the best plan to follow in the treatment and management of the land in the growth of different crops, because workers of the Department of Agronomy will know by looking up the location of the farm on the map, not only the type of soil but also what it contains and what its fertilizer requirements are, since, if it is one of the more important types of soil, they will have results from carefully planned and carefully conducted experiments to guide them in making their recommendations. All there will be to do then will be to apply the particular case with any particular crop the results which have been thus far secured in field experiments on the same type of soil with these different crops.

5. Farmers are demanding definite information at the present time from research and extension workers. The soil-survey reports, together with available station publications, are the only published sources of this information. Agricultural workers must not only refer the farmers to these publications, but in many cases it is up to the worker to interpret and help the farmer to apply the information they contain. For example: If the data secured from chemical analysis in soil survey shows that the Cecil sandy loam type of soil of the Piedmont area of the State contains less on an average than 1,000 pounds of nitrogen per acre in the surface soil 63 inches deep, it is up to workers to make known the fact to the farmer that the best producing soils of the United States contain much more nitrogen per acre than this, some of them running as high in content of nitrogen as 7,500 pounds, and to tell him actually what this figure tells about the stock of this constituent in the soil. Tell him whether his soil is well or poorly tocked with this constituent. Not only this, but, being familiar with the results secured in field experiments on this soil, he will know that from these experiments that the one chief requirement of this soil, as well as for other unimproved Cecil soils is for an application of nitrogen for such crops as corn, cotton, and small grains in order to get the largest and best paying yields.

It will be not only the business of the agricultural workers to help the farmer understand the conditions existing in his soil and its primary needs, but to help him to a better understanding of how he may handle his farm in such a way as to most quickly and economically secure the required nitrogen either from the use of commercial fertilizers, manure, and by the growing and turning under of leguminous crops grown in rotation with his major crops.

6. The analyses of the Cecil series of soils, gathered in the State soil survey have shown them to be quite low, too, in phosphoric acid; in fact, as a general thing, the quantity is so low that by the growing of maximum crops for more than 15 to 20 years the total phosphoric acid present in the soil would be practically exhausted. With soils of this type, it is therefore absolutely necessary in most cases to make applications of phosphoric acid in available form if large yields are to be secured for any length of time, matters not how liberally the other plant-food constituents are supplied. Without careful mapping of the soils, it would not be possible to know the extent and boundaries of these soils, except in the most general way. One would always be uncertain as to whether the results he has used as a guide in his answer to inquiries from farmers are absolutely applicable to the conditions prevailing on the inquirers' farm, the following of which advise usually means considerable outlay by the farmers, unless the adviser has a soil survey report and map on which to rely coupled with field results from definite soil type experiments. 7. Another value of the soil survey is that it gives those who are growing specialized truck or farm crops an idea as to where they may find these same soils in their own communities or elsewhere in the State should they desire to extend their operations or move from one section to another. Not only this, but it supplies the department of agronomy of the experiment station with information to use in advising with reference to why certain communities or sections are specially adapted to the growing of particular crops. Extension or other agricultural work

ers may take this information contained in the soil survey reports and use it safely and intelligently.

It may therefore be seen from the above that without a soil survey it is neither possible to properly locate experimental farms or outlying fields nor to intelligently apply the results from the field experiments being conducted for the benefit of farmers of the State; and that without reliable data from properly located and conducted experimental fields as fountainheads, the extension or other agricultural worker is more than likely to become a talker in generalities.

The farmer who knows what the soil type or types of his farm are, which has been determined for him by the soil survey, will be in a position to avail himself of available information with reference to its potentialities; its plant food and cultural needs; and its peculiar crop adaptations. This information will enable him to crop and handle his soil in such a way as to get maximum net annual returns in the production of crops and at the same time to look after its future economic productiveness in the most intelligent manner.

Mr. THURSTON. If a given piece of land was eroded seriously, and you had sufficient funds available to restore that land through the use of clover, soybeans, or other legumes, about how long would it take to relcaim that land so that it could be used to produce crops? Dr. McCALL. That will depend to a considerable extent upon the soil type; that is one of the problems we are studying at our soil erosion experiment station farms. We are getting a little ahead of our subject, but I will anticipate the soil erosion discussion by saying that we are conducting at these stations investigations to determine how rapidly an eroded soil can be brought back to a fair state of productivity. We have at each erosion station what we call our skinned or desurfaced plot, from which the surface soil has been removed down to the subsoil, and on which we are growing different kinds of green manuring crops, and employing different fertilizer practices, to determine how long it will take to bring the soil back to its original productive capacity.

Mr. THURSTON. Does it take 10, 15, or 20 years?

Dr. MCCALL. On some soils it might be possible to secure results in 10 years or less while on others it would take much longer, depending on the depth to which it had been eroded, and the efficiency of the method employed.

COOPERATION WITH VARIOUS STATES IN MAKING SOIL SURVEYS

Mr. CANNON. Have you discussed up to this time the question of State cooperation?

Dr. MCCALL. I have mentioned State cooperation.

Mr. CANNON. If you have not already put this in the record, your work in making soil surveys is done only with State cooperation? Dr. MCCALL. Yes, sir; in most cases that is true.

Mr. CANNON. No work of this character is carried on entirely by the Federal Government?

Dr. McCALL. No; except in special cases where a particular need for additional information arises.

Mr. CANNON. To what extent have you had cooperation from the States in the last year?

Dr. McCALL. Twenty-nine States have actively cooperated during the past year with work in progress in 78 different areas, not counting the assignment of men to special emergency projects.

Mr. CANNON. Has any of your work been curtailed or discontinued. or have you failed to undertake work in any State because of a failure of the State to cooperate?

Dr. MCCALL. Not recently. The Bureau has not been cooperating with Missouri during recent years due to the fact that the State legislature has failed to make appropriations for carrying the State's part of the expense. The last legislature made provision for resuming the cooperation, but that appropriation was cut out by the Governor. Mr. CANNON. It was withheld by the Governor?

Dr. McCALL. It was withheld by the Governor or eliminated. Mr. CANNON. Have you had any similar instances in any other State?

Dr. McCALL. No; in several States the appropriations for soil survey work have been increased rather than decreased during the recent period of economic distress.

Mr. CANNON. Have you any information in the case of Missouri, as to whether this was due to a lack of appreciation of the work or whether it was through lack of funds on the part of the State Government?

Dr. McCALL. I would say distress of the State Government. The interest in the soil survey seems to be very keen.

Mr. CANNON. My observation is that interest has been very pronounced, and that they are anxious to have the work continued, but the State treasury has been so unfavorable that they have hardly been able to raise money for current expenses. The failure to cooperate is not through any lack of appreciation of the work, or failure to realize the importance of the work, but it is due to the financial condition over which they have no control.

Dr. McCALL. I think that is true; that would be my judgment.

EFFECT OF REDUCED APPROPRIATIONS ON WORK BEING DONE

Mr. CANNON. The appropriation provided by the Budget for this year decreases the amount of money available for this purpose? Dr. McCALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. CANNON. Sufficiently to interfere with carrying on this work in States in a position to cooperate?

Dr. MCCALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. CANNON. Just to what extent, Dr. McCall, will it interfere with the work if the recommendation of the Budget is approved?

Dr. MCCALL. My best judgment is that it would cut our field activities just about in half. It means that of necessity we must give up cooperation with many States and curtail our work in others. As shown in the record before you, our cash withdrawal fund for this year is $240,000, in addition to which there is a 6% percent salary impoundment of approximately $13,200, making a grand total of $253,200. The 1935 Budget estimate of $150,908 is a net reduction of approximately $124,000 in comparison with the appropriation for the current year.

Mr. CANNON. That would result in a reduction of personnel? Dr. McCALL. Yes; it would result in a reduction of personnel. Mr. CANNON. Otherwise you would have sufficient funds to carry on the work.

Dr. KNIGHT. I think I could answer that question in another way. The demands for cooperative work on the part of the States for the last 3 years have been more than we can meet with the funds we had. Mr. CANNON. With the funds you had up to this time?

Dr. KNIGHT. Yes.

Mr. CANNON. The funds for the last 2 or 3 years have been insufficient?

Dr. KNIGHT. Yes; to meet the full demand made upon us.

Mr. CANNON. Now, it is proposed to further reduce those funds? Dr. KNIGHT. Yes.

Mr. CANNON. To what extent?

Dr. KNIGHT. About 40 percent; the figure is $89,000.

Mr. CANNON. Are there any States in which you have completed the survey?

Dr. McCALL. Yes, sir.

Mr. CANNON. In how many States have you completed surveys? Dr. McCALL. In three States: New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland.

Mr. CANNON. About what proportion of the other States remains to be surveyed?

Dr. McCALL. The country as a whole, almost half of the total area of agricultural lands remains to be covered.

Mr. CANNON. As indicated by the questions asked by Mr. Hart, is the survey in those three States final, or are there conditions which would justify you in making a resurvey?

Dr. MCCALL. In a few instances, surveys made in the very beginning, in the early days when the survey was in its infancy, have been revised in the light of our newer knowledge.

Mr. CANNON. Those early surveys were unsatisfactory because they were inaccurate; unsatisfactory because they did not supply sufficient data?

Dr. McCALL. Yes; because they did not supply sufficient data. Mr. CANNON. As far as they went, they are dependable?

Dr. MCCALL. They are dependable except where the roads and highways have been changed.

Mr. CANNON. That has been more or less true of every State in the Union?

Dr. MCCALL. Yes; we check the older geological survey base map and bring them up to date.

Mr. CANNON. As to the character of the soil, those reports are reliable, dependable, and accurate?

Dr. MCCALL. So far as they go. The classification was not carried in the early days to the extent it is today. We might divide our soils into more classes today but we have gone as far as we expect ever to go in that direction; now we are swinging back in the other direction. The tendency is to go into less detail and make what is known as detailed reconnaissance maps. Because of the intimate knowledge that we now have, we can classify much more satisfactorily and much more rapidly than we would have ever been able to do before.

Mr. CANNON. Your more complete surveys and your less complete surveys are in what sections of the country?

Dr. MCCALL. Throughout the region extending across Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and on west through Illinois and Oklahoma there are extensive areas that have not been covered.