The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-04-22
70 IN(CIlAIE THE SOILS
METHOD USED TO INCREASE CROPS
WITH THE AID OF BAG
TERRA
EXPERIMENTS AND RESULTS
Plants Derive LeguminOus Nitrogen
From the Atmosphere Through
Agency OF Minute Organ
ism in the Soil.

That an animal may be inOculated with
disease, or with some remedy for disease,
is well known, but the science of agri-
culture has so far advanced as to aid in
inoculating the SOIL This subject has
been previously treated, but experiments
are being made every year, and they add
much information for farmers who are
interested in soil incubation. In Farm
ers' Bulletin No 124 the United States
agricultural department gives the reports
OF results in this direction. Nitrogen is
the most expensive fertilizer yet it is
the most abundant, forming four-ffths
of the atmosphere, though only under
rare conditions is free nitrogen available
for plant growth. 1t has long been
known, however, that leguminous plants,
such as clover, alfalfa and COW peas, are
rich in nitrogen. and increase the nitro
gen contents of the soils upon
which they are grown Ihey
have the power to appropriate the
free nitrogen Of the air, but only when
small nodules are found on their roots
1t is now believed that these bacteria
draw their nitrogen from the air and
convert it ipcO forms which can be
utilized by the plants on which the
nodules grow. Whenever one or more Of
the leguminous crops are grown it should
be the duty of the grower to carefully
examine the roots Of some of the plants
for these nOdules: If they are not found
then the plants will not make any aCtual
gain in nitrogen, but when a crop like
clover has been grown at intervals Tor
a number Of years it is probable that the
soil contains the proper bacteria for
forming the nodules but the bacteria
growing upon the roots of clover may
not grow upon the roots of another
genus such as the COW pea or Vetcn.
Every genus has its own characteristic
bacteria. When the nodules are not
Of ln n
possible to produce them by inoculatins
the soil by procuring soil from field
which has produced a crop of the same
kind which had the nodules on the roots.
HOW TO INOCULATE SOILS.
The soil may be inoculated when the
seed of crop is sown, or at some time
during its growth. In Kansas inoculated
soil was obtained from soy bean held
In Massachusetts, and by scattering 1t
over the Kansas land plants with tu-
bercles were grown, producing an IN
creased field and a higher percentage OF
nitrogen Several methods Of fnoculat-
ing were tried. The seeds were thor
oughly wetted in a bag suspended in wa
ter into which some Of the Massachu-
setts soil had been stirred. Again, the
dry soil was broadcasted over some plots,
and in other cases was drilled IN with the
seed. The best results were obtained by
cure plenty Of the inoculated soil the fol-
lowing is the method: In a row 500 feet
long incorporate 100 pounds Of inoculated
soil at the time of sowing the seed. Az
ter harvesting the crop take up the soil
in the row to the depth Of four or five
inches and spread it on boards IN the
shade to dry. When dry 1t may be stored
away for use in sacks When planting
a field to sow beans or COW peas apply
inn cd seed
means of a fertilizer attachment to
grain drill, or broadcast for clover, but
do not overlook the fact, as stated, that
inoculated soil for soy beans will not
answer for COW peas. Each kind Of le-
gume has it's own special bacteria. There
are also artificial cultures, bottled for
use, known as 'nitragin," but which are
too costly to use, except as starter"
from which a certain amount Of soil may
be inoCulated. Any farmer who will pro-
cure a two-bushel bag of soil from a
field upon which clover, cow peas, soy
beans, vetch or any other legume has
been grown, provided the roots Of such
plants contain noduleS, may inoculate his
own soil for such crops.
SOME OF THE RESULTS.
Experiments with hairy vetch, grow
was dipped into water solution of earth
from an old garden spot upon which
Vetch had been grown, and for cOmpar-
ison another plot was sown without treat
ment. The inoculated plants had large
clusters of tubercules on the roots and
produced $50 pounds of cured hay per
acre. The unnoculated plants had no
tubercules and produced only 2S2 pounds
of hay. In a crop of crimson clover in
Oculated seed produced an average of
4,057 pounds, while the uninoculated seed
produced only 76l pounds per acre. These
results were at the Alabama station, the
commercial bottled ''nitragln' being used
The gain in nitrogen is large, that from
the inoculated crimson clover being about
14S pounds, while the nitragen from the
uninoculated plot was less than five
pounds. The inOculated hairy vetch gave
over los pounds of nitrogen and the unin-
oculatCd only seven pounds. At the
mississippi station the yield of hairy
Vetch was increased over Ga per cent by
scattering inoculated soil in the drills
Experiments in Alabama show the fol-
lowing average increase in the weight OF
inoculated plants after thorough drying:
Hairy vetch, SO per cent; Canada field
peas, 1873 per cent and crimson clover
young plants, 146 per cent. The nodules
will no doubt in time develop without in
oculation, but the work is slow, hence it
is better to inoculate the soil. 1t will
probably be found not necessary to inoc-
ulate soils that are capable of produc-
ing large crops of the legumes as no
doubt the nodules will be found on the
roots in such cases, but for poor soils that
are deficient in nitrogen, and upon which
the leguminous plants do not thrive the
soil should be inoculated.