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Prologue—The Roots of Soil Science

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Soil Science Americana

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Abstract

This first chapter reviews how soils were viewed and researched in the 1700s and 1800s. Two lines of soil studies are reviewed: the search for the soil matter that makes plants grow and the formation and genetics of soil. Eventually, these lines intersected and then paralleled in a direction that became the discipline of soil science. Particular attention is given to early travelers in the USA, the linkages between Europe and the USA, pedology studies in Europe, and the rise of agricultural chemistry and geology in the USA with the works of Samuel Johnson and Eugene Hilgard.

“I propose to regard the soil as a creature sui generis, sustaining living bodies whilst it is itself sustained by them.”

Robert Wood, 1850

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Soil Science, FD Hole Soils Lab, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

    Alfred E. Hartemink

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  1. Alfred E. Hartemink
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Correspondence to Alfred E. Hartemink .

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Hartemink, A.E. (2021). Prologue—The Roots of Soil Science. In: Soil Science Americana. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-71135-1_1

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