The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-08-04
A NITROGEN YEAST
Wonderful Invention Of Experts in
the Government Agricultural
Department.
How Farmers May Fertilize Their
Fields Without Cost to
Il Themselves.
from The Journal Bureau, Room 45 Post Build

! from The journal Bureau Room IS Post Build
: ing, Washington.
Washington, Aug s.-A penny an acre to
nut nitrogen into poor land-that Is the cost
sof the new patented nitrogen yeast turhlsnea
by the department OF agriculture to FARMERS
who apply for it. But it does not cost inc
farmers even that much, as 1t Is furnlshea
free 1t costs about cent to MAKE q cay
large enough to impregnate an acre OF ian9.
The trouble with most unproductlVe Ianu'
: is that it has not enough nitrogen IN IT.
Every crop grown on the he no mas nex 'a erop
finds less to feed upon. The problemp OF .Ie
farmer is to get nitrogen back INTO the ia M
There is plenty Of free IN IN t of that
gas. But to get 1t out Of the air, and into
the proper combination with the other eie-
ments in the SOIL Is the problem.
Crops That crest a Field"
The government has found one solution:
The experts started with the we'll known lact
that crop OF clover or COW peas !es.s
field" as the farmers say. That IS, lnsteao
:. of draining the soil further the clover seems
to put back the necessary elements. SO that
the next year, if sown to wheat, corn or oa I
the land will bear a good crop again. me
and found that it was because clover mas III
tie punches in it's roots which contain large
amount of nitrogen. The punches were ex-
each was nest of bacteria. But these bac-
terra found to be different from the %, nac-
terra which the doctors battle With Iney
about like small roaring lions seeking "nom
they may devour, they stay at home IN the
clover roots and make nitrogen. when the
tops of the clover are cut down and fed to the
=. cows, the roots and the nodules and the
benevolent bacteria stay in the comfortapie
Z soil. The roots disintegrate; the bacterla
30 to sleep and wait for another crop OF
/. clover, and the nitrogen mixes with the SOIL;
and helps everything to grow that is planted
That is what the experts of the department
found about clover resting the land But
2 they also found that some clover had no
nodules in it's roots. They found that without
the nodules the clover did not rest, or
fertilize the land in the least. And hnally
they found that it due to the absence OF
no nodular punches on the roots In short,
they found that It the industrious ana
unappreciated bacterium to winch all INC
9 credit was due for the enrichment OF the iand,
and that the clover had nothing to do with 1t.
1t merely happens that this benevolent bac-
terium prefers to roost IN the roots Sc. Oh tne
pea or alfalfa will do as well. They like the
leguminous roots. ........ ... .
Nitrogen Yeast Made.
Il So Professor Albert F. Woods and george
T. Moore of the plant industry bureau, SCI
about discovering some way TO MAKE sure III +b ~
roots of any such clover crop Iney oreo
the bacteria in the laboratory-made D1lllons
of them-and then devised a way to pack them
in little cakes like yeast for bread, so they
may be sent to any part of the country.
Then they took out patents, in behalf OF the
government, on all the processes NOW II
farmer wants to rest and fertilize field by
planting it to a legumlnous crop, ne may re-
a cake of nitrogen yeast by writing 70 tne
& department., applying 1t according to dlrec-
lions, and raise a large crop of bacteria as
we'll as clover, and of nitrogen. Lana once
1mpreganted with the bacteria will so remain
for many years. They seem to survive II
the soil and the next time clover is sown the
bacteria will be there, and will start right II
manufacturing the desired nitrogen.
Government Owns the Patents.
The government not only grants patents
but often becomes itself an applicant for
patent, and secures monopoly OF it's own IN
ventions, to be used in behalf OF the pubii
at large. An example of this Is found IN tn
nitrogen yeast. The patent office has granted
three patents covering it's preparation, metho'
OF packing, and it's aRplication.eyerything t.
sarily taken out n'the name of an employe
the government, in this one of the ex
perts OF the plant Industry bureau. But tn
employe assigns the patent to the government
1T is the Re and It IS
sidered only just that the government shoul
r. be the only beneficiary. II this tertllizln
yeast were private invention there Is llttl
doubt that some enterprising commercial ma
or concern would make 1t earn fortune
"a But the patents cannot be secured by an
private concern anybody is at liberty to man
to furnish the formulate and processes, an
TO let any private concerns make 1t and Sc
o. 1t VINO WISH TO. Inc only COuulLlOu ID Lie
they do not misrepresent 1t, or make 1t belo
the governments standard. ...
&} 3 Resigned and Grew Wealthy.
Every man working in the scientific BIT
reaus of the government signs an agreeme1
:, in writing that he will not attempt to mal
, use of the discoveries made in the course
,, his regular labors, for his personal gail
Only once has this agreement been violate
even in spirit. That was about FIFTEEN yea
- ago when one of the employees worked Q!
what was known as the "cyclone" nozzle Y
a hose. Later it was known as the Vermore
nozzle, from the name of man in Franc
- who did the manufacturing. The man WI
~ worked it out resigned just after the col
., trivance was perfected, but before there he
y: been time to patent it. Then he secured
patent on his own behalf. The governmel
;, fought the in the courts for ten year
: but the only verdict they could get was TIL
they had moral case, but not legal on
. The sad truth must be told that the man ar
y his heirs came into large wealth as resu
, of his swift and unexpected resignation.
y" w. w. Jermane.