8 



The Bulletin. 



become inoculated with the same bacteria. Alfalfa, sweet clover and 

 Burr clover bacteria will inoculate either plant. There may_ be some 

 others where the same bacteria will inoculate both plants, but it will^ be 

 safest not to rely on that supposition. To illustrate : If you are going 

 to sow red clover, do not depend on bacteria peculiar to crimson clover 

 for inoculation. Neither expect a red clover soil or culture to inoculate 

 crimson clover. Crimson clover may grow better after red clover than 

 if red clover had not grown on the land. So it might after any of the 

 legumes from the fact the soil contains more nitrogen and is in better 



Fig. 1.— Rod forms of bacteria from a fenugreek Fig. 2.— Branching forms of bacteria from a clover 

 nodule: magnified 2,000 times. nodule; magnified 2,000 times. 



U. S. Bulletin No. 214. U. S. Bulletin No. 214. 



condition than it would have been if the legume had not been grown on 

 the land, and not because of the presence of bacteria in the soil. 

 Therefore, in growing any of the legumes where they have not grown 

 successfully before, either get soil from a field where the specific crop 

 to be grown has been successfully grown within the last year or two or 

 procure some of the nitrogen cultures sent out by reliable manufacturers 

 of these. 



Bacteria Cultures. 



There have been within the last few years great advances and im- 

 provements made with these cultures. From Farmers' Bulletin No. 214, 

 United States Department of Agriculture, I take the following: 



"G. L. Thomas, experimenting with field peas on his farm near Auburn, 

 Maine, made a special test with fertilized and unfertilized strips, and stated 

 that inoculated seed did as much without fertilizers of any kind as seed not 

 inoculated but supplied with fertilizer (phosphate) at the rate of 800 pounds 

 and a ton of barn yard manure per acre. * * * Jeremiah Gardner, of 

 Gaffney, S. C, wrote: 'My cow peas were better than those of others who 

 used commercial fertilizers. They ripened early and evenly. I consider ino- 

 culation a boon to agriculture." Mr. D. L. Farrior, of Raleigh, N. C, said 

 that he applied commercial nitrogen culture to seed for sowing several acres 

 in clover on his farm near this city last spring, and where he applied the 



