The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1918-05-17
INOCULATE SOYBEANS

The soybean has become an impor-
tant crop, and w. A.. Albrecht of the
University of Missouri College of Ag-
riculture believes that it deserves more
extensive cultivation, because it is an
annual legume which gives large
yields of grain and hay. The crop
furnishes good food for mankind as
well as excellent feed for stock. Since
soybeans are legumes, they can uti-
lie the free nitrogen of the air
through the aid of certain bacteria
which form nodules on the roots, and
are not forced to live on the soil alone.
Without these bacteria the soybeans,
like corn, take all their plant food
from the soil and add nothing to it,
save their own roots. For the plants
to make best growth, the nodules
must be present on the roots.
The bacteria that cause the nodules
the plant are not always in the soil.
No other crop has been found which
has the same bacteria as the soybean,
and the soil is not inoculated for this
crop by growing another, as is the
case with alfalfa and sweet clover.
Nor have the soybeans themselves
been grown extensively enough in the
United States, since their general in
PRODUCTION from Japan in 1898, To dis
tribute their bacteria widely. These
| facts make it necessary to inoculate
or add the proper bacteria when the
| crop is seeded for the first time. This
can be done either by means of soil,
or artificial cultures containing the
bacteria.
Soil for incubation should be col
lected to depth of six inches from a
field where soybeans, with plenty of
nodules on their roots, have been
grown recently, and then broadcast
and narrowed in on the new field at
the rate of three hundred pounds, or
more, per acre before the seed is
sown. Less soil may be used by dry
ing it in the shade and applying it
through fertilizer attachment when
the beans are being drilled. AS soon
as the soil has been scattered over the
entire field it should be narrowed in,
to distribute the bacteria thoroughly
and incorporate them into the moist
SOIL
When only very small quantities
of thoroughly inoculated soil can be
had it may be applied to the seed by
means of glue. The seeds are moist
ened with glue solution, containing
enough glue to make it sticky, or
about one pint of liquid glue to a gal
Ion of water, and the infected soil is
sifted over them. The moist seed and
the soil should be mixed so we'll that
every seed becomes dirty. The seeds
are large enough that they will not
clump together and give trouble in
seeding. They may be planted while
wet. or may be allowed to dry. This
method is simple and gives good re-
suits.
When properly inoculated soil can
not be had, artificial cultures may be
used. They are prepared by many
commercial firms and experiment sta
lions with complete directions for use.
They are usually applied to the seed,
and in this way make incubation very
simple and easy to carry out.
When soybeans are planted for the
first time, incubation will give the
crop better color, improve its feeding
value, and increase the yield, unless
the soil is unusually fertile. On soils
of medium or even good fertility, i'm
provement in the crop may be expect
ed. The cost of inoculating is so small
and the Importance of increasing the
crop yield at this time is so great that
one cannot run the risk of a poor crop
by failure to inoculate