Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1905-03-30

elements in plant diet.
Ordinarily, plants take their nitro
gen out of the ground through the
medium Of their roots, and each sue
cessive crop draws on the nitrogen
supply of the soil, so that, unless the
drain is balanced by putting back
lust so much of the valuable food, the
ground will become lean and poor
and eventually useless, Up to now,
the method of putting back the nitro
gen exhausted by the crops has been
bv using fertilizers. Every fall and
spring, the farmer cartsd hundreds
upon hundrrI= f lo4ds of costly ma
uure, spreading it with untold labor.
Guano he spread, and expensive fer
tilizer. costing from $50 to 1915 ton.
He even had to scatter nitrate OF soda
(saltpeter) shipped more than a
thousand miles all the way from Chile
In fact, so absolutely necessary were
these soil invigorators and so extern
sively had they to be used that to-
day practically all the guanO beds of
the world have been exhausted, and
the visible supply of saltpeter is so
limited that, according to the present
rate of consumption, it can last no
longer than fifty years; after which,
according to science, scarcity Of crops
and-Famine.
And now, in the nick of time, along
comes tiny, invisible, friendly germ
offering to work for US free of charge
and to supply nitrogen as our crops
can use it up, if only we will treat
him halfway decently.
How THE DISCOVERY WAS MADE.
From earliest times it has been
recognized that most exhausted soils,
if permitteds to rest for few seasons,
would regain their fertility. Only
comparatively recently, however, was
it learned that what really enriches
these soils is form of soil bacteria
which has the faculty of drawing nj
trogen from the surrounding air and,
by storing it up, rendering it availa-
bic for plant food. Also, ever since
the time of Pliny, it has been known
that the legumlnous, or pod-bearing
plants, like peas, beans, clover, ETC.,
did not require the same amount OF
fertilizer necessary for other plants.
More, these plants, instead Of draw
ing from the soil, actually enriched it
by taking an excess OF nitrogen from
the air and storing itup in the ground
for the benefit OF other kinds Of crops.
This is what gave rise to the mod
ern method of rotating crops although
why the leguminous and not the
other plants should have this faculty,
was mystery. 1t was never sdspect-
ed that these pod-bearing plants had
a particular attraction for the soil
bacteria, and that here they congre-
gated in such numbers that they
might readily be procured. 1t had
been noticed that the roots Of these
legumes grew numbers of nodules,
varying in size from a Pin-head to a
potato, but these were supposed to be
due to bites from worms and insects.
Not until the German Professor Nobbe
brought tubercles under the micro
scope was it found that they were lit
orally alive with soil bacteria.
To isolate, to breed and to colonlze
these nitrogen.fxing germs so that
they might be shipped to all quarters
of the globe was the problem, and the
Professor succeeded in part. he
produced what be called "Nitragin,
which was widely advertised and sold
enormously. But, although there
were instances of phenomenal success
on the whole Nitragin was a deplora'
BILE failure.
1t was at this point that DR..
George T. Moore, in charge Of the
Laboratory Of Plant Physiology, De-
partment Of Agriculture, took up the
invention and made it practicable. Tc
these minute, invisible organisms h'
applied a rule which holds for the
higher animals. He decided that The
German Professor had gone too fal
by being too good to his germs. A
the outset, the Professor had giver
bis bacteria too much nitrogen and
thy never learned to gather it foi
themselves, but died no sooner theil
original portion was exhausted.
DR.. Moore treated his germs just Al
a wise father treats his son. He dic
not surfeit them with the good thing
of life. he gave them ju.t enough
nitrogen to make them want more
and gradually they learned to hun