SOIL SURVEY

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 78, Issue 7017, 9 February 1949, Page 4

SOIL SURVEY

DETERMINING SUITABILITY FOR FARMING MAPPING OF AUCKLAND PROVINCE The task of identifying, classifying and mapping soils in various-regions of the Auckland Province is being carried out by the survey section of the Soil Bureau of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research stationed at Rotorua. From the results obtained, land development planners may know if an area is suitable for farming, and engineers would have details of the strength of foundations for any constructional work. These are only two of the many reasons for the work. During the war a soil map was published by the bureau. It was, however, a general plan, giving little detail or specific information about any particular area. The present work calls for a map, to the scale of 40 chains to lin., of a large region which surrounds Lake Taupo and includes the Upper Waikato River Valley and the area stretching from Mangakino to the lake. The area is undeveloped, but with the construction of the Waikato River dams and the growth of the town of Mangakino it is probable that the area will be keenly sought as farm land. The bureau is concerned with the types of soil present, but from its reports experts could calculate whether the farming of the land would be economical. An area to be surveyed is examined generally by the pedologist, who then cuts a profile of the soil formation from the base rock to the surface. He

classifies it according to its physical properties into series and types. From its age, parent material, the vegetation on it, the topography of the land and the climate he can relate the soil to its environment. The natural resources of the Waipa Valley and the degree of intensity to which it could be farmed were studied in a similar survey made before the war. A bulletin has also been published about the soil in the fruitgrowing areas of Hawke’s Bay. Apart from these projects, pedologists have also been asked for reports before certain engineering works have been started. The soils nised in the Nihotupu dam were first examined by officers of the bureau. During the war the Army used soil maps to ascertain whether certain areas would bear armoured vehicles in all weathers. In aerodrome construction, soil scientists have estimated the ability of local soils to bear the weights of heavy aircraft. For the purpose of soil surveying the Dominion is divided into several groups or districts. Work, however, is being hampered by acute shortage of trained staff.