Soil Surveys and Maps
•Maps of “soils” have been made for a long time
- 1790’s agricultural maps of England
- first pedological map in Russia in 1865
•Eugene Hilgard was the American pioneer in soil
survey and tried to make it a Federally funded
enterprise
Eugene Hilgard and Soil Surveys
•Born in Germany
•Raised in American frontier (Illinois) in intellectually oriented family
•Received PhD at University of Heidelberg
–Agricultural chemistry and geology
•Accepted position as Assistant State Geology of Mississippi in 1855
Hilgard in Mississippi
•Not a glamorous job
•Became head geologist after first geologist
fired
•Recognized his future with state lie not with
geology but agriculture
•Produced a landmark document (next slide)
with half geology and half soils
•Published work as Civil War broke out
–Work remained in storage until 1866
–Hilgard worked for state and confederacy
during war
The Mississippi Report
•Geology
•Detailed discussion of soil
formation and soil chemistry
•“soil” map of state….
Hilgard’s Agricultural Map
•Somewhat analogous to
modern generalized soil map
•Map units based on geology
and vegetation
•Each map unit had several soil
types described in detail in text
Hilgard Moves to California
•Recruited by UC president in 1874
•Replaced first chair of agriculture
(who was fired)
•Reason for coming to California was
his “health”
•Hilgard and his wife both enjoyed and
expected dynamic intellectual and
cultural life……..
Berkeley when Hilgard arrived….
•He and his wife walked through
mud to Oakland for concerts
•So much water and “effluvia” in
his South Hall office that he
vacated it
•Despite cultural isolation Hilgard
seized opportunty to expand
College of Agriculture (now CNR)
and make soils a national issue
Hilgard and John Wesley Powell (USGS)
•Hilgard cultivated friendships with the rich
and powerful
–US congressman, senators,
govenors
–Communicated with premier
scientists of his day and generation
–Began by proding his east coast
connections to make USGS include
soil survey in their activities based on
their 1880 charter………..
–The leader of USGS at that time was
John Wesley Powell……
John Wesley Powell and USGS
• Powell grew up in midwest and
developed interest in geology and science
•Civil War hero who lost arm via cannon
•After war, negotiated with congress for
funds to explore geology and natural
history of last unknown segment of USA the Colorado River Basin
•Became second head of USGS (as well
as serving in role of Dep/Div. of
Ethnology)
Powell’s Plan for the Arid West (‘beyond the 100th
meridian”)
•Classification of land according to economic potential (Hilgards point)
•Modification of homestead acreage to account for aridity
•Abandonment of rectangular topographic surveys
•Federal aid for construction of irrigation projects
•Development of communal irrigation districts (based on his experience
with Morman settlers)
Hilgard and Powell in 1880’s
•Hilgard continually lobbied Powell and Hilgards friends to make soil survey
part of USGS activities
•Powell tried to hire Hilgard to head soils division in USGS but Hilgard
dismissed the overture
•In late 1880’s, new federal department was being organized (USDA)
–Hilgard was asked to be second in command
–His role would be to start soil survey in USGS
–He thought it should be in USGS, but relented to concept
–Powell then sought to move USGS into USDA
–Hilgard was formally nominated and approved by congress and the
president
–He then submitted his resignation letter to UC Board of Regents…..
Results of Hilgard Rejecting Offer to Move to USDA
•Political mess in Washington with Hilgards friends
•Powell left in Dept. of Interior and attacked by opponents of his rational land
use plan
•Hilgard’s arch scientific enemy (Milton Whitney) put in charge of soil survey
–Hilgard believed soil chemistry is important to science and practical uses
–Whitney (for reasons that only be viewed as unexplainable) thought the
only important soil property was texture.
•First soil survey in 1899
–Whitney suppressed scientific publications he disagreed with
–Employees were afraid to bring in novel ideas (Russian pedology and
factors of soil formation)
–Novel ideas brought in only after his death
Soil Survey Today
•Far removed from 1899 methods
•A national program in which all arable land has been mapped and remaining
non-arable areas presently being surveyed
•Most recent movement is Bush administration attempt to “privatise” the
Survey by opening soil mapping to private bidding