Belt Valley times. [volume] (Armington, Mont.) 1894-1977, 1923-10-11

CHAPTER l-contInued-

Ever hear Of the use of nitrate
TO enrich the soil7"
"Ain't that the stuff the old ma
used on the lawn last spring
"Yes." said Jim. your father use
some on his lawn. We don't put II ol
our fields In Iowa-not yet but IL !
weren't for those white specks on tn
tlover-roots, we should be obliged 4
do so-as they do back east"
How do them white specks keel
US from Reedin, HItFates2 p -
Its a long story" said Jim. "Yol
see before there were any plants biz
enough to be vlslble-if there hat
been any one TO see them-the worlC
was full of little plants so sman thai
there may be billions of them In one
of these little white speeks. They
knew how to take the nitrates from
the air" S
"Airi" calculated Newton. "Nitrates
In the air. You're crazy"
"No," said Jim. There are o n OF
nitrogen In the air that press down on
your head-but the big plants can't
get II through their leaves, or their
roots. They never had TO learn, be-
cause the little plants-bacterin-lo-
Gated on those roots and tapped them
for the sap they needed-began to get
their board and lodgings of the big
plants. And in payment for their hotel
bills, the little plants took nitrogen
out of the air for both themselves and
their hosts"
"What dye mean by 'hosts'?"
Their hotel-keepers-the big plants.
And now the plants that have the
hotel roots for the bacteria furnish
nitrogen not only for themselves, but
for the crops that follow. Corn can't
get nitrogen out of the air but
clover can-and that's why we ought
to pillow down clover before a crop of
corn"
Gee" said Newt. IF you could get
10 teach our school. I'd go again."
III would interfere with your pool
playing
what business is that O. yours?n
Intercepted Newt %defiantly.
well. get busy with that shovel"
suggested Jim, who had been working
steadily, driving out upon the fll oc-
occasionally to unload. On his return
from dumping the next load, Newton
seemed. I'm a superior way. quite
amiably disposed toward his workfel-
low-rather the habitual thing In the
nelghborhood.
"TH work my old man to vote for
you for teacher" said he.
'Those school directors" replied
Jim, "have become so bulIheaded that
they'll never vote for any one except
the applicants they've been voting for"
1.-THE old man says he will have
Prue Foster again, or he'll give the
school a darned long vacation, unless
Peterson and Bonner Join on some one
else. That would beat Prue, OF
"And Con Bonner won't vote for
any q but Maggie Gilmartin." added
Jim
and" supplied Newton. "Haakon
Peterson says he'll stick to Herman
Paulson until the Hot Springs freeze
And there you are" said Jim. You
tell your father for me that think
he's a mere mule-and that the whole
thinks the same.'
"All right" said Newt. an tell him
while I'm working him TO vote
for yc p"
Jim smiled grImly. He had re-
a peasant because the Amer
lean rural teacher is placed econom
ically lower than the peasant. He
gave Newton's chatter no consldera-
ton. But when, In the afternoon, he
his team with others to the
big road grader. and the gang became
concentrated within talking distance,
be found that the project of heckling
chatting him about his eminent At
for q scholastic position was TO
be The real entertainment of the oc-
"Jim's the candidate to bust the
deadlock" said Columbus Brown. with
! wink. "Just like Garfield In that
convention he was nom
mated in-eh. Con?"
"Con" was Cornelius Bonner, an
rfshman, Of the deadlocked school
board. and the captain Of the road
He winked back at the path
"Jihh's the gray-eyed man o. des-
he replied, III he gets two
In that board"
You'd vote for me. wouldn't you,
asked Jim.
It'll try anything vance," replied
Thy voting with Exrs Bronson ence.
n Pine Foster suggested Jim.
14het done good work here"
@opinioas diGer." said Bonner. IAN
ycu ~ annythinx Just for
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