Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1930-03-27
THE GROWING OF LEGUMEs

The first step in using air nitrogen
for fertilizer is not only to grow
legumes but legumes that are thoroly
inoculated with the nitrogen-fixing
nodule bacteria says DR.. S. @. Van
decaveye. professor of soils Oh the
State College of Washington.
Nitrogen is so essential for both
plants and animals that life on this
earth would be impossible without it,
and had not science discovered in the
last forty years means of making
nitrogen from the air available to
plants, the olde agricultural sections
of the world would have been de-
populated centuries ago for lack of
food, since there would have been no
other way Of returning that nitrogen
removed from the soil than by pur-
chase of fertilizers.
One of the most important factors
in starting any legume crop is to see
that the nodule bacteria are in the
soil Many soils do not have these
bacteria, consequently they must be
introduced either by taking about 200
pounds of soil from a field where the
legume to be planted is growing well
and is known to have many of these
bacteria and scattering this soil over
the field at planting time or by using
laboratory cultures of the bacteria to
inoculate the seed at planting time
Both methods give good results, but
the first is laborious, announcement
and carries the danger of spreading
plant diseases where such diseases are
present in the field from which the
soil is taken The second is simple
convenient and inexpensive and is
safer because laboratory cultures are
pure cultures of the right kind OF
bacteria.
The soil in which the legume is
planted must be in fertile condition
with respect to plant food other than
nitrogen; it must be in good physical
condition both with respect to drain
age and reaction; it should contain
plenty of available calcium, phosphor-
us and potassium, and if any of these
plant food elements are deficient they
should be supplied by means OF
fertilizers. All of these conditions are
essential to successful legume growing
A good crop of legumes under ideal
conditions may use from SO to loo
pounds of air nitrogen per acre per
year. This nitrogen is worth approx
mately is cents per pound on the
market in the forms of commercial
fertilizer. When the value of growing
well-inoculated legumes is estimated
on this basis the Importance of grow
ing them as often as the cropping
scheme permits is clearly shown.
Experimental evidence shows that in
certain soils the nodule bacteria dis
appear almost completely two or three
years after the legume has been plow-
ed under. This brings up the question
OF how often it is necessary to in
oculate. Recent Investigations have
shown that increased yields may be
obtained by inoculating every time the
legume is planted Whenever there is
debut that the soil does not contain g
sufficient number of ncdule bacteria
to secure maximum fixation of nitro
gen from the air it pays to inoculate
the seed with laboratory culture.
These laboratory cultures of nodllls
bacteria are prepared and distributed
to farmers of the state by the Stats
College department of Agronomy at 6
very small cost, with special rates fol
large orders exceeding 100 acres. II
ordering it is important to state the
kind of legume, and the number o.
acres to be planted. A charge of 25t
per acre is made for small orders
Orders should me mailed about 10 day.
III advance of planting time to allow
for shipping delays during the rusl
season,