Soil Testing in
1953 2004
Alabama
was the last southern state to
establish a public soil testing laboratory for
its farmers in 1953. The reason was because
Research stations throughout the state on all
the major soil types. Each station had on-going,
soil fertility research that resulted in very good
recommendations for the major soils of the
state. However, with the advent of extensive
lime and fertilizer use after WWII, soils
became highly variable from one field to the
next. The time for soil testing had arrived in
Dr. Dennis Rouse, Dr. Clarence Wilson and
other thoroughly documented the scientific basis
for establishing a soil
testing program in
Their publication, The Bais for Soil Testing in
calibration data from long-term experiments that
missing in many other soil testing programs.
