The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-09-29
BOTTLED BACTERIA.
Prof. Noble Sell "Nitragin"
Yeast to Farmers.
Scientist Makes an Important Agri-
cultural Discovery.

New discoveries tread close on each 9TH
or In the realm OF microscopic organisms.
It As but few years since the words MI
crobo and bacteria were made part OF our
language. 1t will not be long before farm
ers will say "my microbes as freely as
they say "my pigs" or my hens" or
"my cows" for IL is no longer the inJuri-
Gus bacteria that are studied, but the ad-
yantageous, and 1t Is known that no phase
of piant life can go on successfully with
out the intervention of these microscopic
aids. So It Is to microbes again that we
owe the chemical changes that charac-
terize the dairy The changes from fresh
milk to butter are due TO the action Of uso-
full bacteria To sterilize milk will keep
it fresh for weeks; to expose 1t to bacteria
will hasten its change of form and quality.
Milk Is pasteurized, or demicrobed, by
heating 1t UP 10 about $50 degrees +. This
kills tho bacteria, after which they must
be excluded by tight bottling.
The air Is simply an ever full laboratory
of these minute chemists. They operate
on everything, ourselves included. Health
as wcll as disease Is due to invisible neigh
bors In our gardens we are learning that
cultivation consists not simply In stirring
and In feeding the soil, but In adding TO IL
and in removing from it those bacteria
that affect plant growth. 1t will not be
long before every farmer will have what
he may call his bacteria stable as much as
he now hos his horse stable. In fact, we
are likely 10 lose our horses, but not TO be
able 10 get on Mt all without microbes.
Such stable or room will hold not only
apparatus and substances for destroying
fungoid attacks that destroy the right vital
processes OF plants, but IL will hold "cul-
lures" of beneficial microbes. These can
be preserved and put In usable conditions,
as yeast Is prepared for the kitchen or
"pure cultures" of bacteria for the dairy
man.
The most recent discovery along this
line Is that of the famous Professor Noble
Of Saxony He has made IL his speciality
TO prepare what we might call farmers
yeasts, or bacteria, useful for plant growth,
In such form that a farmer may sow IL In
his field or otherwise bring 1t into contact
with the seed that he places in the ground.
1t is only few years since IL was found
that the leguDfinous plants, by some
means, could directly extract nitrogen
from the air. On the roots Of clover you
will find small and very beautiful nodules.
These, 10 was suspected, had something to
do with the nitrogen, but IL was long
while before IL was found out that these
nodules were the work Of bacteria; that at
first they are parasite growths, which later
become passive, and that then the bacteria
permeate the clover or the bean plant and
give "a new faculty-that of nitrogen fxa-
ton. But il Is not the same bacteria that
aids the clover and the beans 1t was clear
that if this power could be transferred or
inoculated, just as we inoculate -four with
yeast it would be Of great value to agri-
culture A new field Of experiment was
opened Hereafter 1t would be sought not
only to destroy mischievous bacteria, but
to multiply and transplant the useful. 1t
was found that where bacteria had worked
in cooperation with beans or clover the
soil was richer in nitrogen rather than
poorer, and that such soil could be sowed
upon and worked into other soil poor in
nitrogen TO give it power to extract nitro
gen from the air. This was TO cultivate
and SOW tho nitrogen feeding bacteria.
But 1t took from 1900 to 1900 pounds OF
such prepared soil to fertilize an acre.
This was expensive and practically nulli-
fed the utility of the discovery.
Professor Noble set about endeavoring
to secure a culture that is pure product
of bacteria, or what you might call "a bac-
terian yeast, which could be bottled and
carried about and stored and planted in
any soil where it might be wanted. The
news now comes that he has succeeded,
and that what he calls "nitragin" is now
for sale. 1t can be had for very small
sum indeed-enough to nitragenize an acre
for less than az. This pure culture Is
placed in contact with the seed before the
latter is sown, or Is itself sown and worked
into the soil to depth of three inches.
The culture, which we might just as we'll
call yeast, is kept in bottles and must not
be exposed to light or to heat above 9S do
Rrees F.-NeM York Independent.