The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-12-15

Experiments in the adaptation to
press cake Of suceessful method of
manufacturing fertilizing material from
peat are being conducted at the sugar
planters experiment station with
promising results. - wa
P.5s. Burgess, chief chemist at the
station, who is conducting the investi-
cation, reported on the subject Mt the
annual meeting Of the sugar planters ,
association last week, In. the extern
tsive discussion at the time the account
by Mr.. Burgess of his experiments was
not clearly understood and in answer
to requests for further information he
has given a more complete explana-
tion Of the method. : =.
hBactefized press cake" is the
product that II IL hoped to produce.
- Bacterised peat" is the material
kfteT which Il IA modelled.
The bacterised peat is the invention
of an Englishman. The value of the
product is highly praised. The method
Of its manufacture was kept secret for
n long time. but has now been made
public. -h
Six Months Experiments
For the past six months, Mr.. Bur:
CESS has been carrying on experiments
with materials, which he has prepared
himself, similar to those used in the
manufacture of the bacterized peat
using press cake instead of peat as
the Starting material. He has per-
formed several experiments with the
resultant product in pot culture and
the material has given excellent re-
snIts. *"'
Mr.. Burgess recounts the method of
manufacturing bacterised peat and
IbaoteriEed press cake and the manner
in which he started his experiments as
follows;
. "About a year ago a little book
bearing the title, The Spirit of the
Soil appeared from the press of Con
stable & Co., of London. This book
was written by G. d. Knox, a reporter
ON one of the big London papers, and
popularity recounts recent experiments
by DIR. W. B. Bottomley at Kew Gard.
ems, London, using a fertilizing ma
terial termed bacterized peat.
"Great things are said Of this ma
teriaT as. a crop stimulant and large
increases In yields are shown to have
followed It's use. The method of pre-
pairing the bacterized peat was for
some time kept secret but it has now
been made public and is as follows:
Ordinary Moor Peat Used
''ordihary moor peat is put through
n shredding machine, mOistened with
water and stcrihzed with live steam.
When cool it is inoculated with certain
ammonifying and cellulose destroying
bacteria and ineubated at proper mois.
ture and temperature conditions for
about week.
"This step is taken in order that the
inert peat may, to a certain extent, be
as food by the nitrogen fixing bac
terra which are subsequently to be
added.
"After the week 5 incubation period
the material is again sterihzed with
live steam and, when cold, inOculated
this time with mixed culture of nitro
gen-fxing bacteria (both the AzotObac-
ter species, which are free living in the
soil, and also those forms which live in
the nodules on the roots of leguminous
plants.)
"The peat is now incubated as before
for period of three or four weeks in
order that these bacteria may multiply
and fix nitrogen therein. II is then
dried in the air and put on the market
as bacterized peat.
Takes Nitrogen Prom Air
"Thus this material not only supplies
nitrogen directly to the soil, as does
any chemical heterogeneous fertilizer, but
1t also supplies the proper forms of bac
terra to that soil for the fxation of
: more nitrogen from the air.