Profiles in History

Abstract

1927 At the first World Congress of Soil Science in Washington D.C. in 1927 Prof. K.D. Glinka (1867–1927). Russian soil scientists Glinka along with S.S. Neustruyev (1874–1939) reemphasized the concept of soil as a surficial geological entity, a weathered crust that exhibits specific properties correlated with climate zones. Glinka and the Russian School of Pedology Picture submitted by Alfred Hartemink Information from Soil Genesis and Classification, 6th edition, 2011, by S.W. Buol, R.J. Southard, R.C. Graham, and P.A. McDaniel. 1950s American agriculture went through a dramatic transition in the early to mid 20th century starting with the drought and economic depression of the 1930s. This period was followed by a push for all-out food and fiber production during WWII and then the widespread use of mechanization, hybrid seed, and commercial fertilizers in the 1950s. Assessing the potential impact of new cropping systems was especially important in areas with shallow, sloping soils like the Ozark Highlands. The fledgling Agricultural Research Service, in cooperation with the University of Arkansas, undertook a decade-long study near Batesville, AR to compare the soil and water losses of several cropping systems considered for adoption in the region. This photo from the cover of the report shows a worker collecting a runoff water sample from a concrete tank following a rainfall event. Soil and Water Conservation Studies in the Ozark Highlands Contributed by Tom Sauer, (USDA-ARS) Source: G. W. Hood and R. P. Bartholomew. 1956. Soil and Water Conservation Studies in the Ozark Highlands Area of Arkansas. Bulletin 563 of the Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas and the Soil and Water Conservation Research Branch of the Agricultural Research Service. 1984 Geomorphologist John Hawley (left) and pedologist Leland Gile (right) at the foot of the Organ Mountains near Las Cruces, New Mexico. These two researchers were key players in the team that carried out the landmark research on arid soils geomorphology as part of the USDA Soil Geomorphology “Desert Project” (1957–1972). This photo was taken on one of their well-known Desert Project tours in June 1984, years after the USDA closed all of the geomorphology projects, when Hawley worked for the New Mexico Bureau of Mines & Geology and Gile was retired. Soil Geomorphology in the Desert Photo and description by Vance Holliday, University of Arizona, Tucson