The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-10

The Wonderful "NitrOEen-Fixing
Bacteria"-The New Craze I'm "Sci-
entific Agriculture"
1t is not often that we make incur
sions into the domain of pure litera-
ture for matter for our staid. practical
columns, but now and then it is I'M
avoidable or rather irresistible.
In the October Century Gilbert II.
Grosvenor presents the readers Of that
widely read journal of literature a
graphic description of DR.. George T.
Moore's new discovery of Nitrogen
Fixing Bacteria"
We would preface any comment that
may follow with the remark that there
is something in it sure, but to what
extent and how soon the discovery will
have any effect upon practical farm
ing in the South is now beyond the
pale of reasonable speculation.
If our faith rose to the level of the
demand made upon it by the author
of the Century article we would adj
init at once that we had realized the
prophecy of the old English landlord
some twenty years ago. that the day
was not far off when he would carry
enough fertilizer i'm his vest pocket to
manure a whole field of wheat"
Faith replied Pat, his foreman, and
ven bring back the crop I'm your coat
pocket" But Pat may be wrong. He
certainly IS if we are to believe the
word of Mr.. Grosvenor.
But there are to be many practical
tests yet before we get at the real
truth of the matter. 1t will be some
time, proba bly,, before "Nitrogen-FiX
ing Bacteria" becomes a common ar
ticle OF commerce on the confines of
Southern farming. May it come just
as soon as its practical value is clear
~ demonstrated: no sooner, no later.
Perhaps but few of our farmers will
read the article in the Century but
it will not be long before our national
Department of Agriculture will publish
all the facts regarding the practical
value of the new discovery.
Until then, at any rate. we must
continue, as heretofore, to use COM
Inercial fertilizer by the ton and sta
bic manure by the wagon load and
grow pea vines and turn them under
if we would make bigger crops and
grow richer at farming.
After giving direction for inoculat-
ing the soil or the seed, as may be
elected, the writer aforesaid goes on
to say: Enough Nitrogen Fixing
Bacteria is sent i'm each little package
to inoculate seeds for from one to
four acres. The package can be car
ried in your pocket and yet does more
work than several carloads of fertil-
izer CD 1t costs the government less
than cents a cake. or less than a cent
an acre, and saves the farmer $50 or
$40 which he would have to spend for
an equal amount of fertilizer. Cd
The writer. after giving number
of Illustrations of plants grown with
and without the bacteria. and a table
Of increased results i'm cotton, pota-
eoes, oats, etc, goes on to say
There is not a section of the United
States which will not profit by DR..
Moore's discovery. Nearly every state
has its WORKOUT farming lands bring
ing despair to the economist who la
ments our careless management of the
fields and who wonders how the coun-
try Will support the hundreds of mill
lions soon to be ours. The bacteria
means intensive cultivation with a
vengeance and should give him hope.
1t is, impossible as yet to calculate by
how much they will enhance the yield
OF our crops and of the worlds crops
put the results already achieved prove
that the gain will be enormous"
Cotton planted after one inoculated
crop of clover gave an increased yield
OF 40 per cent; potatoes an increase
of 80 per cent; wheat was increased
46 per cent; oats, 300; rye, 400 per
cent"
.
We shall learn something more of
ehe wonderful Nitrogen Fixing Bac-
terra"
"Note-The year book of the Depart
ment of Agriculture for 1902 contains
Prof. Moore's description of the re-
suits he had attained in his investiga-
tions of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but
did not give the comparative results
of the use of the bacteria that the
present writer does. The Century writ
er reproduces several of the illustra-
tions that accompanied Prof. Moore's
article and has altogether made a very
readable and appropriate chapter for
even literary journal, but we fear
II viii be quite little period yet be-
fore our staid, practical farm journals
contain any advertisement Offering
nitrogen-fixing bacteria cheap for cash
or otherwise. Simply wait and see.