Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1897-10-08
MYSTERY SOLVED eY SCIENCE.

MYSTERY SOLVED ev SCIENCE.
Microbes Can Draw Nitrogen from [
the Air and Give It to Plants.
Resides buying well-sclected fertii-
izers, the progressive farmer of the fu-
ture will also provide himself with bot
tied billions of the microbes which en-
able plants to obtain nitrogen from the
air. 1t was a long puzzle to chemists
to learn how nitrogen is absorbed. It.
was clear that under ordinary circum-.
stances plants are unable to appropri-'
ate directly from the air the nitrogen
they absolutely require for their.
growth. The air in the pores Of the
soil contains plenty of it, but the roots
are not capable of causing 1t to be-
come n constituent of the sap or fiber.
Leguminous plants, such as beans.
peas, and clover, require a great deal
of nitrogen. and it was of special in
terest to provide them artificially, if4
possible, with this important constit-
uent.
The mystery was dispellcd by a re-
IL discovery that the roots of plants
capable of absorbing nitrogen bear lit
tie protuberanccs, and 1t is through
these protuberances that the nitrogen
is taken in. Further study with the
help of the microscope revealed the
fact that the protuberances contain
millions of bacteria, and that it is these
bacteria that absorb the nitrogen aud
give 1t to the ROOTS OF plants III Il form
in which 1t can be used by them. To
the activity of these beneticent uacte-
ria, plants-particularly leguminous
p~lants-owe their vigor and perhaps
their existence in their present FORM
The plant life in this view, is a result,
in incidental product, Of the vital pro-
cesses of microbes, a million of which.
could swim with comfort in a single
drop of water. The next step was to,
isolate. by methods with which BAD
teriOlogists are familiar. the varieties
Of bacteria suited to each crop, and to
breed them artiticially in paying Qyin-
titles.
This has been done. A German firm
breeds seventeen species of bacteria Of
the MISUNDERSTANDING species and
sells them to agriculturists in bottles
under the name of '%nitragin." A bot
tie containing some thousand billions
Of the useful bacteria and selling for
$1.25 will '%inoculate," 1t is said. an
acre of ground. The experience of far
mers with 'nitragin'' is too brief to
qualify them to speak with certainty
of its practical utility. Some have OBJ
tanned encouraging results, While 9TH
otS 1,nN.n MT II I,,, I,nn,, ~, 1S.o .,,..
ket less than IL year and began to lie
used too late in the season for II fair
test. "Nitragin' ought to he used be-
o 1t is two months old. and its vital
ity is impaired. If not wholly lost. when
it is four months old. 1t nus be kept
in Il cool place, and is best applied. per-
haps. at night. since it is injured 10y ex-
posure to the light. Its function is to
assist terminating seeds and small
roots to put forth the desired p%rotuber-
anccS.
1t is accordingly useless for growing
plants. and in soils already well sup
piled with nitrogen i'll the required
form. Under favorable conditions sew
efal eXperimrnters have obtained, it is ,
said. excellent results. Cereals have
not been ound susceptible to its inlu-
ence to an apprcciablc extent. Mucl,
remains to he determined aus to the ex-
tent of its utility. 1t is yet undecided,
1t seems. whether the seed or the soil
is to be Observation-Disclosures the seed
should be mixed with the gelatinc con-
tanning the 'nitragin," or whether the
''nitragin" should be mixed with a
quantity of the latter scattered over
the area to be treated. In any case,
agriculturists have in nitragiu an in
teresting subject of experimentation.
timore Sun.