104 SCIENTIFIC REPORTS OF THE AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH 



May, 1917. To Muzaffarpur, Seraiah, Motipur, 

 Dooriah, Belsund and Tabca in connection with 

 the indigo experiments. 



June, 1917. To Muktapur, Muzaffarpur, Motipur 

 and Bara in connection with the indigo experi- 

 ments. 



Mr. Harihar Prasad, one of the Fieldmen attached to the 

 Entomological Section, whose services were kindly lent 

 to this Section by the Imperial Entomologist in connection 

 with the pebrine disease experiment, was sent to Berham- 

 pore silk nurseries to demonstrate the improved method of 

 examination of moths for pebrine as devised in this 

 laboratory. 



II. Training. 



Mr. S. N. Bose, Bacteriological Assistant to the Agri- 

 cultural Chemist to the Government of Bengal, is under 

 training in this laboratory. 



III. Soil Bacteriology. 



Soil fertility in its relation to bacterial activities. 



This included further work upon nitrification with special 

 reference to the interference with this process resulting 

 from — 



(1) The absence of the necessary specific organisms in 



some soils. 



(2) The inhibiting action of toxins produced in soils 



under semi-anaerobic conditions. 



The apparently complete absence of nitrifying 

 organisms in certain soils was certified and confirmed by 

 continued examination of further samples in which nitrifi- 

 cation of added organic matter was secured only after 

 inoculation with nitrifying organisms derived from other 

 soils. The principal feature of such soils probably res- 

 ponsible for the absence of nitrifying organisms, is the bad 

 texture making good tilth difficult to obtain; added to this 

 is a deficiency of lime. Both these objectionable features 



