Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1903-08-12

tney perform d WoHueiiui
work. Some bacteria double their
number in a few minutes; others in
a few hours.
Sunlight 10 Fatal.
Sunlight is fatal to them. but a
moderate temperature encourages.
The human imagination can hardly
keep up with the multitudinous rate
of reproduction which has been OBJ
served in all recent experimentation.
For instances, in a single iuch of soil
representing only a few ounces in
weight bacteria are found to the num-
Der of hundreds of millions. Cold
does not injure them, but checks
their operation.
The way in which the government
intends to make use of these bacteria
and the principle of incubation is by
propagating bacteria under artificial
conditions to be sent out in small
quantities in all parts of the country
for the use of farmers. A large labo-
ratory has been provided in Washing
ton, and a competent staff of bacteri-
ologists, who have already made near
ly all preparations for the work, pro-
posed.
In a small ~pasteboard box Axe inches
and one-half an inch deep, sent free
wherever the United tates mail goes,
the magic of success for the farmer
who desires to introduce a leguminous
crop hitherto impossible of culture in
his region, will be sent to all who ap-
ply. The box contains three packages
done up in tinfoil, in one of which
is a wad of cotton on which the cul-
lures or germs of the bacteria have
been dried, and in the other two are
nutrient salts, which are usually mag
nesiuw sulphate, potassium phosphate
or ammonium phosphate, with a small
mixture of sugar to solidify and hold
the cultures.
A sheet of instructions and a frank
ed envelope accompany the package.
The department asks every farmer
who receives cultures in this way to
take notes on the results of his ex-
pertinent and report. The instruc-
tons are extremely simple and prac-
tically admit of no failure.
Package No. l of the nutrien. salts
is first dissolved in a half gallon of
pure water at ordinary temperature.
The salts dissolve in a very few Nh
utes, then the wad of cotton is placed
in the solution and it is left to stand
twenty-four hours, when the other
package of nutrient salts is emptied
into the solution. In another twenty
four hours the cultures are ready for
use. The solution, if no mishap has
occurred, will have turned a milky,
cloudy white very much like the H.
quor of oysters.
The Way to Apply It.
There are two ways in which the
cultures may be applied. 1t must be
remembered that the applicant should
specify what particular variety of le-
guminOus crops he desires to estab-
fish. 1t has been found that the bac-
terra common to certain families OF
legumes will not make their home on
the roots of legumes of other families.
for instance, the bacteria that subsist
on the roots of alfalfa will not live on
the roots of red clover.
The bacteria on red clover, howl
ever, will inoculate white clover. GRIM
son clover, alsikek, buffalo clover and
al OF the trifolium clovers. The bac-
terra on bur clover, which is common
in some parts of the country, will in
oculate alfalfa. The bacteria of soy
a will work on COW peas and SINH
lar members of the bean family.
The first way of applying the cul-
lures is to spread the seed out thinly
on the table and sprinkle the solution
as usual. The other way is to take a
quantity of soil in a place out of the
sunshine, sprinkle the solution over
it, stir it up and scatter it broadcast
over the ground to be seeded.
Successful incubation can be secur-
ed by taking soil from a thrifty field
of egumes, such as Alfalfa, clover or
watches and scattering it over the
field where either of these crops may
be desired. Owing to the cost OF
freight this is an expensive method,
but 1t has been practiced with COM
plete success many times. The ex-
pertinent stations in Illinois and Ohio
after years of failure to establish a.
falfa sent out beyond the Missouri
and secured quantities of soil from
fine fields of alfalfa and then succeed
ed entirely in making alfalfa grow.
These stations have in turn kindly
CItnnliod oorth for froo,,ks-- -