JF Ptak Science Books Quick Post
"All the roots hang down
Swing from town to town
They are marching around
Down under your boots
Below the gopher holes
Where they all unfold
There's a world going on underground
Underground"--Tom Waits ("Underground", with audio)
Dirt isn't just the stuff that one gets rid of, of course--it is the basis of all that we are. Varieties of dirt are the stuff of the connoisseur and the expert, and when laid out properly, and particularly in a scientific manner, dirt is exceptionally beautiful. For example, this exceptional and large illustration appears in the Atlas of American Agriculture, which was printed in a very unpretty/dustbowly year for soil, 1936. (The image is clearer once you click in and expand.)
- "Color Principles of Representative Soils", from Atlas of American Agriculture, 1936. 20x27", printed in colors. Very vivid, and in fine condition. $85
The lithograph is also available for sale at the blog's bookstore, here.
This large lithograph was published in Oliver Baker (editor) Atlas of American Agriculture. Physical Basis including Land Relief, Climate, Soils, and Natural Vegetation of the United States. Prepared under the Supervision of O.E. Baker, Bureau of Agricultural Economics. Contributions from the Weather Bureau, Willis R. Gregg, Chief; Bureau of Chemistry and Soils, H.G. Knight, Chief; Bureau of Plant Industry, Frederick D. Richey, Chief; Forest Service, F.A. Silcox, Chief; Bureau of Agricultural Economics, A.G. Black, Chief. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C., United States Government Printing Office, Washington: 1936
The other sections of the atlas include:
- Land Relief, P.J. Marschner
- Climate (temperature, sunshine and wind)Joseph B. Kincer
- Climate (frost and the growing season), William Gardner Reed
- Climate (precipitation and humidty), J.B. Kincer
- Soils of the United States, C.F. Marbut
- The Physical Basis of Agriculture, H.L. Shantz (Grassland and Desert Shrub) and Raphael Zon (Forests).
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