The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1916-02-11
most nothing.

country, have established beyond
question, the fact that incubation ,s
absolutely necessary to the success
ful growth of legumes.
There are two common methods of
inoculation; one is by the use of
soil from fields known to be inocu-
lated with the desired bacteria, the
other is by treatment of the seed
with Pure Culture solutions. On
account of several detrimental fac
tors, the first method is not to be
generally recommended. This meth
cd has tendency to spread objec-
tionable weed seeds, it is disagree
able to handle, and hard to get uni
form distribution of the bacteria,
and in addition it is likely to prove
rather expensive. The incubation
of the seed with pure cultures elimi-
mates all of the above objections,
and is to be recommended, provided
the cultures used are pure.
The demand for inoculating ma
terials has grown to such dimensions
that companies for their manufac-
ture have sprung up all over the
country, and are putting out prod
ucts of more or less reliability, un-
der various names, such as Farm
o-germ," etc. Some of these prod
ucts are of undoubted value, but
a fo
their use. The first is their high
price-$2.00 per acre usually being
charged. Second the farmer has no
way of distinguishing the good from
the bad, and the State has no in
spection laws covering such mater
ials, therefore cannot help the farm
er in that way. Third, these bac-
terra are active for only a limited
time after they are isolated and pre-
pared for use, and if part of a ship
ment should not be sold this season
and held over until the next, the
chances are that what was originally
a reliable preparation, will be abso-
lutely worthless, containing only
dead bacteria. Neither can the
State protect the farmer against this
kind of imposition.
On account of the great need, and
growing demand in Tennessee for
pure and reliable "Legume Inocu-
lating Materials" and realizing the
objections to the commercial prepa-
rations that are being offered to the
farmers of the State, the Department
of Agriculture has taken steps to-
ward the establishment of a labora-
tory for the preparation and distri-
button Of Pure Cultures for Leg
umes." The present plan is to Op-
crate this department in connection
with the State Chemical Laboratory,
it's supervision being directly under
the State Chemist; in this way both
the initial cost and the operating
expenses will be greatly reduced,
and in consequence, the products
can be given to the farmer at a cor
respondlingly less price.
The stocks of pure cultures from
which these products will be pro-
duced, will all be obtained from the
: U. S. Department of Agriculture at
Washington-thus will their quality
be assured. No Legume Cultures
will be sent out from the State
Laboratory except that which is
freshly prepared, and each bottle
will bear the date of it's preparation
, thus insuring the farmer against
the use of old and dead bacteria.
In the beginning the cultures will
be furnished to the farmers of Ten
nessee for $1.0O per acre, and will
be packed only in one and two acre
sizes.
All orders must be accompanied
, by cash to cover amount of material
; ordered.
All orders must be sent in at least
two weeks before the material is
to be used, as the preparation re-
quires time, and it is not our inten-
ton to keep any stock on hand, but
to prepare each shipment fresh as
needed.
At first this Department will be
in position to furnish only a limited
: supply of cultures, hence it is i'm
perative that the farmers place their
orders early, as they will be filled
in order in which they are received.
Address all orders to State Chem
| ist, Department of Agriculture,
Nashville, Tenn, and make checks
and money orders payable to H. K.
Bryson, Commissioner of Agricul-
ture, Nashville, Tenn.
J. F. SAMPLE,
State Chemist.
Approved
!,