Soils and Men, Yearbook of Agriculture 1938. Part 4: Fundamentals of Soil Science

摘要

Physics, chemistry, and biology all contribute to our knowledge of the soil. In this part of the Yearbook, an effort is made to summarize the main outlines of this science as it is understood today. The first article gives a soil scientist's philosophy of the part played by soil in the affairs of mankind. Following this are articles on the physical nature, the water relations, and the chemistry of the soil. The role of organic matter and the activities of living organisms in the soil are then discussed. Following this is an article on the rather complex business of classifying soils according to the principles worked out in the 1930's.