U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils
The U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils (BCS) was an agency within the U.S. Department of Agriculture established to harness scientific research aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity. Formed in 1927 through the merger of several federal entities, including the Bureau of Soils and the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, the BCS focused primarily on research rather than regulatory functions, particularly after the Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration was created. Under the leadership of Henry G. Knight, the bureau prioritized soil science, producing soil maps and conducting extensive research on soil and water conservation, while also striving to reduce agricultural dust explosions.
The BCS aimed to assist farmers by exploring new applications for agricultural products, extending its influence even into manufacturing processes. During its operational years in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the bureau contributed significantly to agricultural research and shared its findings through an active publication program, fostering collaboration with the scientific community. The work of the BCS was pivotal in setting a precedent for future federal engagement in scientific research. In 1938, the bureau was ultimately consolidated into the Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry and Engineering, marking the end of its independent operations.
On this Page
Subject Terms
U.S. Bureau of Chemistry and Soils
Identification: U.S. federal research agency dedicated to soil analysis and agriculture-related chemistry
Also known as: BCS
Date: Established July 1, 1927
The Bureau of Chemistry and Soils (BCS), part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, was one of many federal departments that dealt with applying science to improve economic productivity. It worked in cooperation with state and local governments to evaluate soils, make soil maps, and minimize the incidence of agricultural dust explosions, in addition to conducting original research on the chemistry of agricultural products.
In 1927, the regulation of food and drugs was spun off from the Bureau of Chemistry and delegated to the newly formed Food, Drug, and Insecticide Administration (later the Food and Drug Administration). The remaining body was merged with the Bureau of Soils, the Fixed Nitrogen Research Laboratory, and the Division of Soil Fertility and Soil Bacteriology of the Bureau of Plant Industry to form the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils. The focus of the new bureau was to be research rather than regulation. Its first head was Henry G. Knight, the dean of agriculture at the University of West Virginia. The former head of the Bureau of Chemistry, Charles A. Browne, whose interests lay more in research than administration and enforcement, accepted the subordinate position of chief of chemistry and technical research in the consolidated bureau. The new bureau employed 445 people in its first year.
Soil science and the making of soil maps for a vast range of communities took up much of the bureau’s resources. The bureau participated in the Department of Agriculture’s project, launched in 1928, to research soil and water conservation, establishing ten experimental stations by 1933. Another of its primary functions was helping farmers by developing and improving uses for agricultural products outside the traditional areas of food and clothing. The bureau’s interest in agricultural products extended to some aspects of manufacturing. For example, it produced a report on the preparation of bookbinding leathers for maximum longevity. The bureau regarded dissemination of its findings to both the scientific community and the public as central to its mission; it maintained an active publication program, and its scientists participated in national scientific organizations.
Impact
The Bureau of Chemistry and Soils produced and communicated a large body of agricultural research in the late 1920s and early 1930s. It helped set a precedent for the expansion of federal sponsorship of scientific research in the following decades. In 1938, the Bureau of Chemistry and Soils was consolidated into the Bureau of Agricultural Chemistry and Engineering.
Bibliography
Cameron, Frank. Cottrell, Samaritan of Science. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1952.
Weber, Gustavus Adolphus. The Bureau of Chemistry and Soils: Its History, Activities and Organization. Baltimore, Md.: Johns Hopkins Press, 1928.