The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-02-05
GIVES UP A VALUABLE PATENT
DIR. MOORE DELEGATES MS DIS
COVERY TO THE PUBLIC.
Found n Way OF Enriching the soil by
Means OF Bacteria and Might Have Made
Fortune ont OF It--Instcad. Surrcn-
dered His Rights for Farmers BENEFIT.

Found n Way OF Enriching the soil by
Means Of Bact eria and Might Have Made
Fortune out OF It--Instcad. Surrcn-
dered His Rights for Farmers benefit.
DR.. George T. Moore OF Washington
secured in March OF last year patent
on methods he had discovered Of making
cultures of nItrogen-hNing bacteria Of
increasing their nitrogen-hxing power and
Of drying them so that they may be sent
all over the world, while at the same tms
their activity is indefinitely preserved
The Department of Agriculture has -
issued Bulletin No. II, in which it mahes
known that these patented processes have
been decided by DR.. Moore to the Depart.
ment. to be held in trust for the use Of tina
general public. The American AGricpl,uriN
Of this week says that DR.. Moore could
undoubtedly have made very great fortune
| II he had formed n company and exploited
the patent. But he chose TO make a 81,
Of IL to the farmers of America
The bulletin tells how soils may be on
riched by introducing into them certain
kind Of bacteria which have the power 4
fixing in the soil nitrogen from the air -
that il is available for plant food. Nitrogen
is one of the principal plant fools anu b,
forms over three-fourths Of the weight u
the air The SCS told about year ago
how 1t had been discovered that the bacteria
living in the roots Of leguminous plants
change atmospheric nitrogen into soluble
form for plant food so that plants may get
from the air the nitrogen they need
But how cou d these nitrogen-fying
bacteria be artifcially multiplied and dis
tributed to farmers so that they might
enrich the soi7 This question had 10 be
answered before the discovery could be Of
large practical utility.
Prof Noble Of Germany thought he had
solved the problem He found that by
taking the nodules or tubercles containing
the bacteria which develop on the roots
of legumes he could inoculate other legume'
o. which the bacteria did not develop
without incubation.
Then he found that he could Isolate the
bacteria and breed them in large colonies
He made a great sensation among German
farmers when he advertised his discover es
and there was a large demand for his hao-
terra. which he sold in bottles at 81 each
But his bottled bacteria did not prove
satisfactory. The microscopic animals died
and the farmers who expected wonderful
results we're disappointed
Our Department of Agriculture sent an
agent to Germany to report on these eV-
periments. He found that they were not
successful, but the Department still hoped
that some method might be perfected Of
utilizing the discovery.
The services of DR.. Moore were az last
secured and he gave his whole attention TO
the Investigation. He has succeeded
inn ht f.trr
culture method of multiplying and dis
tributing the bacter ria even beyond our
expectations.
DIT. Moore discovered the weak points
in Prof Nobbe's methods and began a long
series Of experiments. without following
the minutbe of his work, 1t is enough TO say
that he originated a new method of feeding
by which he developed n type of bacteria
from five TO ten times as much
power to fix free nitrogen as the original
colonies had possessed.
The next step was to discover some
simple means by which these bacteria
might be distributed far and wide with
out deterioration. He found at last that he
could dry them and later revive them in a
liquid medium and that they retained their
high activity. He soaked small bits OF
cotton in his cultures and discovered that
when dried out they retained millions Of
bacteria that could be sent to any part OF
the world.
As result of this work it is now pos
sible TO inocuate at very small expense tho
seed of all ieguminous plants last spring
the Department began the distribution 81
bacteria to a very large number Of appU-
cants living in nearly every part of tai1
and in many foreign countries
The results obtained have been extremely
The pamphlet prints some
+ letters showing that the crops
Of alfalfa, red clover, COW peas garden
peas beans. soy beans crimson clover
field peas, sweet peas, velvet beans pea
nuts and other legumes were greatly in-
creased by the use of the cultures. and the
result upon succeeding crops ia bone
fetal.
Thus Investigations in this country hnve
ed to a practical method of introducing
atmospheric nitrogen into tho soil in form
N which IL NAV be utilized for plant food