Soil science is a relatively new field and becoming more critical in the work to keep soil healthy and productive. The discovery of century-old soil samples at a land-grant university could offer big clues into how soil has changed over time.
An old dilapidated barn, slated for demolition, held a treasure trove for one researcher.
On a tip from his department head, University of Illinois soil scientist Andrew Margenot drove out to the campus’ agricultural research farm in the summer of 2018.
Even in daylight, he had to strap on a headlamp to see his way around the dark barn.
“I realized within about five minutes of walking through these cobwebs and very dark hallways, that there were row upon row, shelf upon shelf of soils,” Margenot remembers. “And that there were the original soils taken in the mapping of this state.”
The barn contained thousands of soil samples, stored in mason jars and other sealed containers from nearly every county in the state. Some of the samples went back as far as the 1860s, while most of the collection dated from the early 1900s….
At Penn State University, soil samples dating back to 1915 and 1933 turned up in a storage closet at the university’s research farm four years ago.
The 53-jar soil collection is now at Penn State’s Pasto Agricultural Museum.
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