This is a hard one....
I'd say, future tense... Or probably present. Sorry if I got it wrong for you!
But still, I hope this helps you. :)
It helps in understanding which crop should be cultivated on a particular land.
It also helps in gaining information about how agriculture can be done in poorer soils.
It gives information about the nutrient quality of the soil.
This avoids wastage of capital on the cultivation of unsuitable crops.
It also helps in controlling pests and insects.
Following Beauregard's bombardment in 1861, Confederate forces occupied Fort Sumter and used it to marshal a defense of Charleston Harbor. Once it was completed and better armed, Fort Sumter allowed the Confederates to create a valuable hole in the Union blockade of the Atlantic seaboard.
