Portrait of Milton Whitney (1860-1927), Chief of the Division of Agricultural Soil (later alternately known as the Division of Soils and/or Bureau of Soils), a partner in the National Cooperative Soil Survey (NCSS). Established in 1896, the NCSS cooperatively investigates, inventories, documents, classifies, and interprets soils and disseminates, publishes, and promotes the use of information about the soils of the United States and its territories. As Chief, Whitney oversaw geography and chemistry-based surveys designed to understand, manage, conserve and sustain the nation's soil resources.