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 The discipline of soil classification is as subject as any other
to the phenomenon of changes in nomenclature. Dr. Charles E.
Kellogg, head of the USDA Soil Survey for many years, once
said: "When we stop learning about soils, we will stop changing
soil names!"
 A soil series name, like that of a tree species, for example,
stands for a whole group of characteristics. A person familiar
with these can judge which soil is good for a specific crop, or
stable enough to build a house or road on, or capable of ab-
sorbing sewage effluent safely. The purpose of soil survey re-
ports and maps is to make this kind of information available to
the public, to land-use planners and to other responsible
agents. Changes in soil nomenclature from bulletin to bulletin
is confusing, unless a key to soil names, old and new, is pro-
vided, as in Table 20-1.
 Two examples will help to clarify the matter. Soil nomen-
clature has been changed whenever soil scientists noted that the
same name was being used for two different soils in different
regions. At least one of the soils had to be given a new name.
Thus the Colby silt loam of Wood, Clark, and Marathon coun-
ties, Wisconsin, was changed in the 1940s to Spencer silt loam,
because the name Colby was in use in Kansas for a very differ-
ent soil. Soon thereafter, the Spencer soil was divided into two
series, a moderately well drained one, labeled Spencer, and a
somewhat poorly drained one, called Almena. Subdivision of a
soil series into two or more series is likely when field men con-
                            CHAPTER    20
            Soil Series Name Changes
dude that a particular soil has such a wide range of properties
that land-use interpretations are not specific enough for prac-
tical crop, silvicultural, and engineering interpretations and
recommendations. This is why the forest soil, Knox silt loam,
of the early soil survey of Dane County (Whitson et al., 1917)
was subdivided into the Seaton, Fayette, and Dubuque silt
barns. The Dubuque silt loam was later subdivided on the
basis of depth to cherty red clay and thickness of the clay over
limestone bedrock into several series (see Lee et al., 1968). The
name Knox is no longer used in Wisconsin. New classifications
of geologic materials and scientific discoveries, such as those
concerning shrink-swell potential of soil clays, may bring about
recognition of new soil series and groupings of them.
 Table 20-1 is intended to help the reader to relate soil names
of earlier published soil maps and reports to names in modern
publications.
                           Table 20-1. Listing of old soil series names with
modern equivalents
(Note that this list contains some familiar names such as Miami because the
original series name included several modern soil series,
including the named one (such as Miami) in
up-to-date.)
                                  its modern restricted sense. Please consult
the Soil Conservation Service to bring this list
Old soil series name
Ackley
Acton
Addison
Alden
Allen
Amherst
Arlington
Astico
Attica
Atwater
Auburn
Augusta
Aurorahville
Au Train
Baldwin
Bancroft
Bark
Bates
Baxter
Bay Port
Bellchester
Bellefontaine
Belmore
Beloit.
Berrien
Bluffton
Board man
Bogus
Bono
Modern equivalent
Spencer, Kennan
Fox, Warsaw
Theresa, Hochheim
Hubbard
Lows
Kennan, Coloma
Piano
Sisson
Chaseburg
Markesan
Boone
Vesper
Salter, Shiocton
Wallace
Renova
Antigo, Plainfield
Manistee
Hesch, Sylvester
Dubuque
Waukegan, Dakota
Boone
Casco, Fox, Lapeer
Fox
Westville
Tustin
Brickton
Milaca
Alluvial land
  (sandy)
Pella
Old soil series name
Boone
Bradford
Bridgman
Brillion
Bristol
Brokaw
Brownsville
Burnett
Cady
Ca lamus
Canton
Carnot
Carrington
Cary
Cashton
Casimer
Cassoday
Catawba
Celina
Centerville
Chelsea
Clarno
Modern equivalent
Boone, Gale,
 Hixton
Cushing
Shawano (dune
 phase)
Hebron
Elburn
Santiago
LeRoy
Markesan
Renova, Sargeant
St. Charles
Calamine
Solona
Piano, Mendota,
 Sun Prairie,
 Saybrook
Vesper
Rozetta
Cassel
Onamia
Spirit
Mayville
Ettrick
Kenman, Emmert,
 Elderon (modern
 Chelsea is in SW.
 Wisconsin)
Unsettled-see
 Cadiz
Old soil series name
Clayton
Clinton
Clyde
Clyman
Cochrane
Cogan
Colburn
Colby
Coloma
Columbus
Cooley
Cornucopia
Crane
Crawfish
Crawford
Crosby
Cylon
Dane
Dell
Delphi
Derinda, deep
  phase
Detour
Dodgeville, deep
  phase
Dodgeville, shallow
  phase
Dorchester
Modern equivalent
Barronett
Fayette
Pella, Harpster
Kendall, Lamar-
 tine, Virgil
Burkhardt
Renova
Altoona
Almena, Spencer
Plainfield, Coloma,
 Wyocena
Puchyan
Chetek, Padus
Hiawatha
Elburn
Aztalan
Sogn, Dunbarton
Conover, Lamartine
Santiago
St. Charles
Dells
St. Charles
Eleroy
Ruse
Ashdale
Edmund
Lawson, Arenzville
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