VERMONT AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 43 



probably more important than any other one factor, and methods 

 of getting this water to the plant are well worth considering. Our 

 western brethren do this by irrigation. Many of us can well 

 afford, even in these humid regions, to consider whether such 

 procedure is not after all advisable. Each and every one of us, 

 when running a cultivator, is watering his plants just as truly as 

 if he were playing a hose upon them or were bringing the water 

 to them in an irrigation ditch. How is this possible ? It is be- 

 cause the soil particles form themselves naturally into irregular 

 fine tubes and the water of the soil passes up through these 

 tubes by what is known as capillary attraction, in just the same 

 manner as the oil climbs the wick when a lamp is lighted. L,et 

 a hot sun beat upon the soil or a scorching wind sweep over it, 

 if that soil be not stirred to break up these fine capillary tubes, 

 the effect will be just the same as when the lamp is lighted. 

 The heat of the lamp draws up the oil ; the heat of the sun or 

 the wind draws the moisture from the soil and it is lost. Let 

 the cultivator, however, break these tubes and form an earth 

 mulch on top of the soil, the vaporization is materially hin- 

 dered, the water collects about the level of the roots and there 

 is much greater opportunity for the plant to do its best. 



Turning now to the biology of the soil we find bacteria 

 both helpful and hurtful in all soils. It behooves us to study 

 something of their nature, mode of action, etc., that we 

 may the more readily aid those that help us and hinder those 

 that harm us. Among the helpful bacteria are those which are 

 found in connection with the leguminous or pod bearing plants, 

 like the clovers, beans, peas and the like, which enable them 

 through a peculiar united life to gather nitrogen from the air. 

 Thanks to these bacteria, this class of plants becomes a nitrogen 

 trap, enabling the farmer to increase his store of this expensive 

 element at relatively little cost. Again, other forms of bacteria 

 nitrify organic nitrogen. If barnyard manure, for instance, be 

 applied to a soil, or, we will say, a commercial fertilizer con- 

 taining cottonseed meal or dried blood as a source of nitrogen, 

 the nitrogen contained therein would be absolutely useless for 

 plant purposes were it not that certain bacteria attack it and 

 transform it from the organic state to that of ammonia ; then, 

 their work finished, a second set of bacteria take up the work 

 and transform the ammonia to nitrous acid ; and, following 

 them, a third set changes the nitrous acid into nitric acid. This, 

 in combination with certain basic elements, is fit food for plants 

 and enters the root for use. Still other bacteria are mischief- 

 makers and reduce these nitrates, which may be called the pre- 

 pared and digested plant food, to their constituent elements — 

 they undo the work of the nitrifying bacteria. It behooves us 

 to study these various things and learn how we can best control 



