Why a Soil Reader
© 2007 Donald G. McGahan (aka soilman) All Rights Reserved
In a setting of agriculture, science, or engineering the word soil has a specific meaning.
In English jargon the word soil is often applied inappropriately. It can even be a dirty word. Soil out of place looses its wealth and stature. Still, the study and use of soil in its natural setting is never a dirty subject, nor is it a dirty word.
It is the purpose of a college introductory soil course to survey the various functions and applications of soil. The overarching objective of the soil reader is to introduce some generalizations that begin the defining of soil, soil science, and to help with appreciating management of soil as a natural resource. Specifically, a more direct aim is to link the science back to uses of the soil medium in agriculture, engineering, ecology, environmental sciences, and ecosystem sciences.
The above stated overarching objective(s) and more specific aims are addressed in numerous books, technical documents, and undoubtedly in web pages and blogs dispersed within the world wide web(s). So, why this reader?
This set of pages that comprise the soil reader are intended to be accessed by learners in soil courses at the University level. They are exemplars of how successful learners record more voluminous treatises on these objectives and aims. As such the other textbook(s), handouts, slide decks, and supplemental material(s) may be nested in a Learning Management System (LMS) associated with the University.
The geographic foci of the above objectives and aims are applicable to soil wherever it is found.
The Content menu has headings and subheadings. Once the Content menu has been expanded headings or subheading selected might require a second selection, on touch devices, or another click on devices with a pointing mechanism.