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Chapter 5 - Soil Science I

from Part II - Transfers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2020

David Moon
Affiliation:
University of York
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Summary

In the 1870s and 1880s, Russian soil scientists under Vasilii Dokuchaev devised an innovative science of soils. They understood soils as natural-historical bodies that had formed in the environments in which they existed. The innovation, which was based on field work in the steppes, allowed the mapping of large soil groups over extensive areas. It could be applied around the world and suggested that the soils of the Great Plains were similar to those of the steppes. The US government soil survey that began in 1899 under the direction of Milton Whitney was largely limited to a physical and geological understanding of soils. Whitney was hostile to the Russian innovation and tried to prevent its spread among American scientists.

Type
Chapter
Information
The American Steppes
The Unexpected Russian Roots of Great Plains Agriculture, 1870s–1930s
, pp. 188 - 225
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2020

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  • Soil Science I
  • David Moon, University of York
  • Book: The American Steppes
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217320.006
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  • Soil Science I
  • David Moon, University of York
  • Book: The American Steppes
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217320.006
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Soil Science I
  • David Moon, University of York
  • Book: The American Steppes
  • Online publication: 23 March 2020
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316217320.006
Available formats
×