upon the soil, in order to gauge the consequent effect of such soil changes upon future generations of trees. (4) Problems Arising from the Influence of the Soil on Animal Life: As is well known soil conditions are capable of exerting important direct and indirect influences on the animal life which it supports. The most obvious examples of this are apparent in domestic animals where ailments due to deficiencies in phosphorus, cobalt, and copper and the effects of excess of molybdenum are familiar to us all. Although they clearly exist in some parts of the world, correlations between human health and soil conditions are more difficult to trace in countries such as New Zealand where the food supply is drawn from such a wide variety of sources. A noteworthy example of such a relationship is that obtained by Hercus and others1 Hercus, C. E., Benson, W. N., Carter, C. L., 1925. Endemic Goitre in New Zealand and its Relation to the Soil-Iodine. Journ. Hygiene XXIV, 2. pp. 322–400. when a link was established between soil iodine and endemic goitre. In this work the difficulties to be overcome were enormous for, in addition to gaps in medical knowledge, the knowledge of our soils was so scanty that recourse had to be made to geologic groupings. Recent investigations by Dr. R. E. T. Hewat.2 Hewat, R. E. T. Eastcott, D. F., 1954. Dental Caries in New Zealand. (In the press.) Dental Research Officer of Health Department, working in co-operation with officers of Soil Bureau, have brought to light what appear to be positive correlations between the incidence of dental caries and the kinds of soil upon which people live. Hewat has studied the teeth of many thousands of school children each of whom has lived in one locality only and. after correction for age, sex, race, dental hygiene, and class of incidence, a strong correlation with soils appears to persist. These correlations are broadly indicated in Fig. 3. A possible link is through milk and vegetables, both of which are important items of infant diet and both of which are locally produced. Samples of milk analysed in 1938 by S. T. Wilson for Dr. D. Cook of the Health Department and N. H. Taylor of Soil Bureau clearly indicated that the minor element content of cows' milk could reflect soil conditions and with vegetables the possibility of such a link is. of course, much closer. Work on this important investigation is proceeding: Conclusion. In dealing with the problems which face him in New Zealand, the soil scientist soon finds that they are rarely those restricted in scope to the soil itself— for tire most part they are related to the use of the soil and hence their investigation calls for co-operative effort by a team of workers, the soil scientists being members of the team. As a group, however, the soil scientists of New Zealand must beware of becoming over involved in practical problems, of living too much on intellectual capital—on basal knowledge gained by the workers of the past without making like contributions themselves. The man who works out some obscure point in our science is just as important to us as a group as is the man who makes a brilliant application of knowledge to farming although society may not recognise it nor give commensurate reward. The soils of New Zealand can be studied nowhere else but in New Zealand and if we are to