Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1903-12-18
SOIL INOCULATION.

4 writer In Harper's Magazine tells
interestingly OF recent successful ex-
,porlments with the fertilization OF soil
with bacteria, That is. TO say soil de-
ilclent In nitrogen may be treated with
cultures of certain bacteria. which rem
dor II productive. The discovery Is
due 10 the researches OF the German
Professor Noble. In 1855 he began his
interesting series Of experiments HAY
Ing gathered the nodule-covered roots
of beans and peas, he made an extract
and poured II into a geatlne solution
In this colonies of bacteria commenced
to grow, Then he separated those he
wanted, from the rect, and now he was
ready for his experiments with the soil
He took a quantity OF pure sand, and IN
order 10 be sure that 1t contained no
nitrogen, nor bacteria In any form, he
heated It to high temperature three
different time for six hours, thereby
completely sterilizing It. This sand he
placed In three Jars. TO each Of these
he added a small quantity Of mineral
food--the required phosphorus, potas
sum, iron, sulfur, and 80 on. To the
first he supplied no nitrogen at all in
any form, the second he fortified with
saltpeter which is largely composed OF
nitrogen in form In which plants
may readily absorb IL through their
roots; the third Of the Jars he Inoculat-
ed with some of his bacteria culture.
Then he planted beans and waited the
results The plants IN the first jar,
we are told, starved for want Of nj
trogenous food Those In the second
jar grew as they would In a garden.
In the third. the "inoculated," jar, they
showed a marvellous growth. The eX-
pertinent had so far. proved a grand
success. The writer says further
Having thus proved the remarkable
efficacy OF soil-inoculation In his lab
oratory and greenhouses, where ! saw
great numbers of experiments stlll go
ing forward, Professor Noble set him
self to make his discoveries OF prac-
teal value, He gave TO his bacterin
cultures the name 'Nitragen' --spelled
with an a-and he produced separate
cultures for each OF the important crops
peas, beans, yetch, lupin, and clover
In 1894 the first OF these were placed on
the market, and they had a consider
able sale, although such a radical in
noyation, and 80 almost unbelieVably
wonderful, can not be expected to
spread rapidly. The cultures are now
manufactured ut one OF the great COM
mercial chemical laboratories OF the
river Main ] saw some of them in
Prof. Mobiles laboratory They were
put up in small glass bottles each
marked with the name Of the crop for
which It Is especially adapted. The bot
tie was partly filed with the yellow
gelatnous substance in which the bac-
terra grow On the surface of this
there was mossylike gray growth, re-
sembling mold. This consisted OF in
Vulnerable millions OF the little oblong
bacteria for inoculating half an acre
of land II must be used within GER
tain number of weeks after II is OBJ
teined while It Is still fresh. The
method Of application is very simple.
Contents Of the bottle are diluted with
warm water, Then the seeds OF the
beans, clover, or peas, which have
previously been mixed with a little soil
are treated with this solution and
thoroughly mixed with the soil. After
that the mass is partially dried so that
the seeds may be readily sown.'