The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-05-22
TREATMENT OF SOUR SOILS.
Plant Must Be Supplied with Bacteria
OF Proper Kind, Saws Authority.

falfa," says Professor J.. G. Hutton oil
the South Dakota State college. Ill
must be supplied with bacteria of the
proper Kind. These bacteria form
nodules on the alfalfa roots and have
the power of taking nitrogen from
the air ard combining it in such a way
that plants may use it. Where alfal.
ia or sweet clover has never grown,
1t may be necessary to supply the
bacteria a~rtificially. The easiest way
to DO this is to scatter the soil from
a well established alfalfa field over
the land to be seeded. I'm securing the
soil for incubation purposes. the top
two inches of soil should be removed
and soil taken from the next six inch
es. The soil should not be allowed to
dry In the sunlight or be exposed to
1t, as the strong sunlight kills the bac.
terra. lnoculate the field just before
seeding. sowing the soil broadcast BY
hand and follow Immediately with a
harrow to prevent injury to the bac-
terra by the sunlight. Some kinds OF
drills may also be used for sowing the
inoculatins soil. For incubation. from
200 pounds to 500 pounds Of soil per
acre is recommended, though more
may be used if available. There is. Of
course, a chance of getting weed pests
in the soil used for inoculatins nur-
poses and for this reason soil should
not be used from farms where quacls
grass, d0dder or other pests are
known 70 exist. Soil should not ba
used from fields in which alfalfa is
not healthy, as some of the alfalfa
diseases may be transmitted to the
new fields. The soil in which sweet
Glove grows may be used for inocl-
latinS purposes just as we'll as that
from alfalfa fields and should be
treated as directed for soil from al
falfa fields. Cultures of bacterl. for
lnoculatlng purposes are sold by Ger.
tain companies. While the South Da.
kOta experiment station has not in.
vestisated the efficiency Of this meth
3D., the recommendation of other ex
pertinent stations that it is still IN an
experimental stage and should be y.
sldered accordingly. 'l%noculation with
soil from a well established alfalfa
field gave uniformly better results
than secured by use Of liquid cultures
-tNebraska experiment station.) Al.
falfa will not grow well on sour soils.
Sour soils may be sweetcned bv an.
plying ground limestone. If YOU are
in doubt as to whether or not your
soil is sour. fill a pint jar with it and
send 1t 70 the agrOnomy department,
state college. Broohings, S. D., and
they will tell you if it needs lime
stone and how much it needs"
Noted Athletes to Enter Meet.
Hurcn.-The lcng list OF entries for
the Minnesota-Dakota field and track
meet at Huron, on May Is and 90.
contains the names of many noted ath-
letes. There are on file 339 entries.
and among these are six mon who at
the present time hold the conference
records. When they meet with the
1914 contingent, they will no doubt see
their records hard pressed and prob.
ably broken. The men who are re-
tuning TO the meet this year 10 defend
their former records are: George o..
tick, u. N. D., half mile: r. S. Ander-
son, Hamline, low hurdles; j. w.
Crays, Hamline, 440-yard run: Carl
Cibertson, L. s.. d., pole vault; The
odore Larson, Hamline, discus. The
teams are unusually large this year
on account of new material that IS
being tried out everywhere for posi-
biiltles for the large national and
ever international meets. Martin De-
laney, director of the Chicago Ath-
letc club and one of the coaches of the
American olympic meet at Stockholm,
Sweden, in 1912. has written to Man
Hochstetler, stating that he
would be IN Huron at the time of the
meet. He is trying to secure a line on
the material of the NORTH west, AMI
the victories Of Hamiine university
over Minnesota university and Yank.
college at the Drake university
relay would indicate that the best
athletes Of the west are in the Mime
conference.
TO Meet at Mitchell.
Mitchell.-Interest will not be lack.
when the swine men OF South Da-
kota meet at Mitchell, June Is and
-, to organize a state swine breed
ers association. In all likelihood this
meeting will be one Of the most event.
full in the history OF the pure bred
swine industry in South Dakota, and
such it deserves and is entitled to
hearty support Of every swine
in the state. In this move 70
form a state association is rejected
keen interest that they manifest
a. all times in everything that has te
do with the advancement Of their