Arizona republican., 1903-07-28
Soil Bacteria for Farmers.

According to a Washington dis patch to the New York Sun the government has in store for the farmers of the country an interesting gift. To many it will seem like magic. To others who have for a few years kept abreast of the subject of soil in cculation it will not seem so marvell- ous.
 In 1885 a German scientist. H-ilrie- gel, announced that he had discovered that there exist in the soil a vast num- ber of minute microscopic organisms which make their homes in tubercles, or nodules. on the roots of leguminous plants, such as Clovers, vetches. peas. beans, and locust trees. These little creatures. he showed, perform valu- able service for the plants in which they live. They pay for their subsist- ence by catching from the air nitrogen which the legumes could not them selves take into their systems in gas Cous form. reducing it to a nitrate in combination with some other elemsnt, taken up from the ground, and the legumcs easily digest this plant food and mako rapid and luxuriant growth.
 All this was taken up quickly by scientists throughout the world, and especially in this country. Hundreds of experiments were carried forward. and it is now fundamentally establish oF q coveries known to scientific and prac- tical agriculture.
 Nitrogen is the most expensive fertil- izer required in farming. The aver age price per pound is r cents, while phosphorcus and potash. the two other requisite fertilizers, are to be had for two and three cents a pound. On every square inch oi the earth's sur face there rests a column of air consisting largely of nitrogen and weighing about fourteen pounds. With this at hand. and with the means to catch it. the farmer has a most abund- ant source of the most important fer tilizer he needs.
 The way in which the government intends to make use of these particu- lar bacteria is by propagating them under artificial conditions and send ing them out in small quantities in all parts of the country for the use of farmers. A large laboratory has been provided in Washington with a compe- of tt-h hn already made nearly all preparations for the work proposed. In small pasteboard box four inches by six and half an inch deep. they will be sent free wherever the United States mail goes, to the farmer who desires to in trocIce q leguminous crop hitherto inn possible of culture in his region.
 The box will contain three packages cotton on which the cultures or germs of the bacteria have been dried and in the other two are nutrient salts which are usually magnesium sulphate, potas sium phosphate or ammonium phos- phate. with a small mixture of sugar 10 sclidify and hold the cultures. A shc-t of instructions and franked en- vclopc accompany the package.
 The department asks every farmer who receives cultures in this way to take notes on the result of his cxperi- mcnt and report. The instructions arc simple and practically admit of no fail urc. Package No. 1 of the nutrient salts is first to be dissolved in half gallon of pure water at ordinary tenn pcraturc. The salts dissolve in a very few minutes. Then the wad of cot ton is tc be placed in the solution and let to stand for twenty-fcur hours and next the other package of nutri ent salts is emptied into the solution. In arcther twenty-eight hours the cul- lures are ready for use. The solution. if no mishap has occurred. will have turrcd a milky cloudy white very much like the liquor of oysters.
 There are two ways in which the cultures may be applied The appli- cant must specify what particular va sires to establish. It has been found that the bacteria comiron to certain families of legumes will not make their home on the roots of le- gunes of ether families. For instance, the bacteria that subsist on the roots Of alfalfa will Tot live on the roots
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