844 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



5 GEORGE v.. A. 1915 

 TFIE SIGNIFICANCE AND PROBLEMS OF AGRICULTURAL BACTERIOLOGY. 



In connection with the European visit of the Dominion Botanist, several bacterio- 

 logical institutions were visited, and from the specialized attention which is being 

 paid in other countries to this fundamental basis of agricultural economy, a few 

 remarks on the signiiicance and the problems of this branch of agriculture will not 

 be found out of place in the present report. 



The practical significance of agricultural bacteriology consists in educating the 

 farmers to avail themselves to the utmost extent of the aid of bacteria and fungi with 

 which they come into daily contact, without at present realizing to any extent their 

 important role in the household of nature. Many of the technical measures in agri- 

 cultural practice are aimed to directly or indirectly influence the life and activity of 

 the useful or injurious micro-organisms. Much success has already been achieved 

 by the use of the pure cultures of certain leguminous bacteria for the improvement in 

 the field of such crops. On the other hand, bacteria may show themselves of as great 

 vahie, as at times they may be injurious, in tLe conservation of various feed materials, 

 the production of clean milk, the manufacture of butter and cheese, the decomposition 

 and use of stable manure, and last but not least, the action of fungi, bacteria, and 

 protozoa in the soil may exert a decidedly beneficial or a very injurious influence, as 

 the circumstances may be. In consequence of a more or less pronounced indifference 

 towards this important branch of agricultural science, many countries in the world 

 in which extensive farming in all its branches is being carried on still suffer enormous 

 economic losses by not utilizing the helpful assets in the form of agricultural by- 

 products to the fullest extent. One example may suffice here which will clearly indicate 

 the great gain by the correct use of stable manure. It has been demonstrated that 

 this valuable asset to agriculture is more generally utilized to only 3 per cent of its 

 value, while a study of the action of organisms in manure has shown that at times it 

 may be used to more than 40 per cent of its value. Depending upon the length of time 

 it has been lying in a heap, the value of stable manure is often considerably reduced 

 by the action of bacteria. Another feature of bacteriological nature is the incomplete 

 utilization of green manure; surprising seems the influence of such matter upon the 

 micro-flora of the soil, providing it is used at the proper time. On the whole the 

 usefulness of bacteria in relation to agricultural practices is very pronounced; serious 

 losses through wasteful practices due to imperfect knowledge of the usefulness of such 

 organisms will be averted by a close study and practical application of the" principles 

 of agricultural bacteriology. 



Some of the more important and immediate problems in this connection may be 



cited: — 



(1) Investigation into the changes during storage of the various kinds of animal 

 manures. (Losses of nitrogen, availability to crops of nitrogen, utilization of other 

 plant nutriments, influence of various methods of conservation.) 



(2) Maintenance of soil fertility, through timely supply of humus, culture of 

 crops increasing the fertility of the soil, suitable rotation and rational methods of 

 cultivation. (Experiments in humification processes, green manuring, influence of 

 crops on the micro-flora of the soil, summer and winter fallowing, etc.) 



(3) The study of changes in the milk, butter, and cheese. (Efficient mode of 

 treatment of dairy utensils, milking machines, etc., butter and cheesemaking from 

 pasteurized milk by the use of pure cultures.) 



(4) Conservation of potatoes, roots, etc., through pure cultures, particularly the 

 ensilage of nitrogenous plants (clovers, etc.). 



A closer attention to the study of the micro-organisms that may be employed to 

 advantage in agriculture would soon reveal their enormously useful activity, while it 

 would also result in demonstrating the losses due to the injurious groups, whicli by 

 skilful practice and by aid of advice such as can only be obtained from close 

 researches, will soon not only become averted but turned into a profit. 



Ottawa. 



