Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1912-07-18
FACTS REGARDING LEGUNG INNOCUlATION

alfalfa to live, regarding the bacteria.
The bacteria LIVING in the various
kinds OF legumes belong to the same
series they are the same kind in
otaer words. But the bacteria that
thrive in the nodules OF the alfalfa
plant will not live. apparently, In the
nodules OF the clover plant. The bac-
terra OF the nodules of our motive
legumes are apparently OF nc value
for alfalfa. Evidently the bacteria
OF the common red clover nodules
can be utilized by the white or alsyke
clover. Professor Hopkins has shown
that the bacteria that live in the nod.
ules OF sweet clover will readily In.
oculate and form nOdules upon the
alfalfa plant. Sweet clover soil,
therefore, can be used to inoculate
land intended for alfalfa.
Does Our Land Need incubation?
We must distinguish between bot
tom lands and uplands. Further we
must distinguish between the abso-
lutte need of incubation and the econ
omic need of incubation. We know
of certain instances in the state
where alfalfa has been sown without
artificial incubation and the alfalfa
crop has been a success. This has
been sufficient evidence to some that
the talk OF the need of incubation is
more or less nonsense. Those that
put out alfalfa, generally put 1t upon
land that has been MANFRED. Upon
bottom soil, rich in organic matter,
the alfalfa bacteria are either there
naturally or the conditions in the sol!
are sc favorable that the bacteria ac-
cidetnally present upon the seed
sown, develop very rapidly and bring
about incubation in a comparatively
short time. 1t is in every degree like.
ly, in fact practically certain, that the
ordinary upland soils of North Dako.
ia, and presumably of South Dakota,
Minnesota aud eastern Montana do
not contain bacteria which are able to
inoculate the alfalfa plant. There Is
a possibility of course that some OF
the wild leguminous bacteria are able
to ~inoculate alfalfa after a few years
association with the alfalfa plant.
This is not likely, at least to any ap'
preciable degree.
Economic Value of incubation.
If we can keep on growing or try.
ing to grow alfalfa upon a piece OF
ground, incubation will finally come
about on such ground, as a general
rule, but it may be only after a period
! of 4 or 5 years. In such a cas- there
would be no absolute necessity of arti,
fetal incubation. 1t is plain to be
seen, however, that there would exist
a strong economic necessity for in
oculation. BY inoculating the field at
the outset the alfalfa would have
made good yields the second season
BY %neglecting incubation the farmer
, loses the use of his land more or less
and he is also apt to lose the crop
! also, because of the increased liabil
ity to injury from drouth and winter
killing. In%oculating the alfalfa in
creases the yield, makes the crop
more certain. lessons the possibility
of winter killing, increases the value
of the crop and makes the soil richer
1t has been found that the yields from
lands artificially i%noculated have beer
over twice those from fields not arti
ficially inoculated. Moreover the al
falfa plants taken from areas artific
tally inoculated have been found t
be fully twice as rich in nitrogen as
were the plants from the u~ninoculatet
area.
Positive knowledge.
Mr.. w. r. Porter took samples o.
natural soil from the % demonstra