The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-09-25
vaccinatlng Mother Enrth.

Vacctnating Mother Earth.
Years ago bleeding was the great cure
all. The most important implement in
the doctors saddle-bags was the lancet.
Nowadays phlebotomy has been supplant-
ed by incubation. The lancet no longer
occupies first place in the medicine case.
That proud position is held by the hypo-
dermic syringe
The scientists, however, have now got
so far along in the practice of inocula-
ton that they do not stop with treating
the animal kingdom. They are actually
vaccinating fields, for the purpose of max
ing them grow big crops. They have
discovered that the soil is full of bacteria,
good and evil. a field full of perverse
bacteria will not produce bountiful crops.
The thing to be done then is to vaccinate
the soil with good bacteria and let them
chase the bad species literally out of the
earth. Mr.. Altman writing in the Con-
temporary Review on the subject, after
telling about the bacteria in the soil, says:
THE latest application, in the domain of
agriculture, of the great principle of In
oculation, is in many respects Of a more
striking nature than anything yet ac-
complshed by this line of research. and
consists of the incubation of the soil with
pure cultures of bacteria for the purpose
of promoting plant growth" He then tells
of the propagation of the good bacilli or
cultures, and says: 'Inoculation Of a soil
with these cultures, on a practical scale.
may be effected in either of two ways.
First, the seed of the crop it is desired to
inoculate may be inoculated before il is
sown. This is effected by making a wat
cry solution of the pure cultivation, inn
mersing the seed in 1t, and subsequently
drying it; or secondly, 1t may be effected
by inoculating a quantity of fine sand or
earth in the same way, and then spread
ing it over the field and subsequently
working 1t into the soil to a depth of
about three inches. Naturally, point Of
considerable interest is the economic ques-
ton Of the cost of such treatment 1t is
interesting TO learn that this is extreme
ly moderate as the expense Of inoculat-
Ing the field in this way amounts to the
very moderate sum of fve shilllngs per
acre. This cannot be regarded as expen-
sive. and contrasts favorably with the
expense Of heterogeneous fertilizers"
Demetrus Callias Bey died Monday
night at Constantinople. There are few
people, and perhaps very few, to whom
that statement conveys any special in
formation; but the import OF it may be-
come clearer when It is stated that he
was the husband of the former Mrs p.
T. Barnum, widow Of the millionaire cir
Gus man. Cailias Bey. a Greek with
Turkish title, and Mrs. Barnum were
very quietly married in New York city
last year, and little was saM about the
wedding. He is to be buried on the island
of Melata. off Smyrna, where he owned
extensive olive groves. Mrs. Callias who
is now on her way to Constantlnople is
expected to return and reside at Bridge
port, Conn, after the funeral. She is
young and is still worth millions
The admirers OF Eugene Field have
reached a definite plan for erecting
monument to his memory, and board
of directors has been selected to take the
work in charge. II there ever was writer
whose memory should be cherished. GER
tainly Eugene Field was one.