The ranch. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1902-1914, 1905-10-15
The Matter of Soil incubation.

The subject of soil incubation has
been gaining attention from the farm
ers right along and is one in which IN
tense interest is being manifested by
every one who desires to see better
farming and better crops. AT least
this is the case out west, where inoc-
ulation of the soil is showing good
results almost Immediately. The dis
cussion of the matter has brought out
MANY new things in relation to rem
doring assistance to the soil in the
ondeavor to raise better and larger
nlants. One New York farmer writes
at considerable length in Hoard's
Dairvman to tell what he has learned
about the matter. In part he says:
One farmer, some six or eight miles
from here used several tons of ashes
on his new seeding last year, and OBJ
tanned such remarkable results that
he tried a car load this season. He
fold me the other day that he was get
ting splendid results again this year,
that the last years seeding is looking
we'll and that the plants appear to be
thicker than before. I called him over
the telephone a few minutes ago to ask
about the nodules on the clover roots
He replied that he had never seen
anv and did not know what to look
for. but that he would go right out
and try to find them. He has just
called me to say that he found few
on every plant that he dug up. They
look almost like ants eggs, SO called,
lightly attached to the rOOtlets
Another neighbor, who has given the
matter much attention, told me JUST
now that he has never failed to hnd
nodules on clover roots, whether red
whiM or crimson clover The latter
in particular showed great abundance
of the nodules. 1t would hardly seem
necessary in such cases to inoculate
the soil, but simply to provide cond1
lions favorable for the development
of what is already there. The WOOD
ashes. or possibly lime, perhaps Wild
the addition of a little potash and
phosphoric acid, appears to be ABOUT
what is needed here for clover, pro
vided, of course, the land is otherwise
in good condition, contains humus, etc.
From the standpoint of the com
mon farmer, incubation may be fact.
a fad or a fancy Not long since |
was taking dinner at hotel where
normal school principal was explain
ing to others seated at the same table
how it is now possible for the farmer
to send to Washington for some little
packages containing substances which
he could easily apply to his land and
increase his crops from three hundred
to five hundred per cent. But, he
added. the American farmers are too
bigOted and self-conceited to do any
such thing as that.
The dispensers of cultures say they
have had calls for them for everything
from the clover fields to the Ber
Davis apple. Some want culture to
renovate worn out pasture Ca very
sensible desire). others want them for
timothy and other grasses, and oc
casionally a man wants one for his
cornfield. A large proportion fail to
specify what particular crop they are
wanted for, and one man, failing to
read the directions, planted the cot
ton containing the micro-organisms
directly in the SOIL
Regarding the introduction of cul-
lures for alfalfa, which is the only
Klnd l nave seen used by our farm
ers, IL mas made very good account
ing FOR itself Not that the growing
or alfalfa in this vicinity is by any
means an assured success. but plants
show the nodules in most instances
where the soil has been inoculated and
they are of a good color. The intro
duction of the bacteria was brought
about by sowing soil from an old al
falfa field in most instances. but in
one case 1T is thought that it may have
Deen brought by the seed. as the nod
ules appeared without any other inoc-
ulatlon of the SOIL Specially inocu-
lated alfalfa seed was offered for sale