3 Review(s)

One of the prime aims of this textbook is to narrow the gap between the theory of soil chemistry and the manuals of soil analysis. A manual is incorporated however thus freeing the student from additional expenditure and as it is based upon the preceding theoretical discussion it should be more meaningful than the cook-book type of manual. The subject of soil analysis is relatively young and procedures are constantly being modified improved or superseded. The only way of competently performing many analyses has been by reference to articles in scientific journals which are not always readily available and not all analysts are up to date in their reading. There is often controversy over the relative merits of different analytical procedures and it is even not unknown for one soil laboratory to use method B because another is using method A. At every soils conference there is a plea and even a decision to standardize methods but this like many conference decisions has failed to materialize. It must be remembered of course that different soils sometimes need different methods for the same analysis.