288 



STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



very widely, yet no investigational work is recorded that would specify 

 need of inoculation of any legume except alfalfa. Methods of seed and 

 soil treatment have been devised but the field of their applicability has 

 not been satisfactorily settled. A great part of the material on the sub- 

 ject is a matter of opinion as far as the application of the inoculation to 

 practical farm conditions is concerned. 



"Neither the legumes requiring nor those not requiring inoculation 

 were definitely stated. Alfalfa is more commonly treated than any 

 other. Every station that mentioned a need of inoculation for any crop 

 included alfalfa. The extent of the use of the soil and pure culture 

 methods of treatment was about equal. No station expressed a prefer- 

 ence for pure culture while, as will be noted, several perfer soil. Illinois, 

 however, is the only station that shows an attitude of antagonism to 

 pure culture. 



REVIEW OF RErORTS. 



"The furnishing of pure cultures for legume inoculation was taken up 

 somewhat as an experiment. To ascertain the results of seed inoculation 

 report blanks have accompanied each culture sent and a request is made 

 to return this properly filled out with data of the crop that show the 

 influence of inoculation. Not only have the number of reports received 

 been disappointing but also in many instances the information and an- 

 swers they contain. The reports returned in 1914, 1915 and 1916 total 

 224 while during the same period, 24,444 cultures were sent out. 



"The first detail considered in reviewing these reports is the farmer's 

 estimate of whether their crop was benefited. The following table con- 

 tains a summary of the answers to the question 'Was your crop benefited 

 by the treatment?' It Avas thought advisable where some factor was 

 definitely knoAvn to have interfered with the crop not to include the re- 

 ports in column 1 and 2 but to class them as indifferent — column 3, 



TABLE II.— SUMMARY OF INOCULATION REPORTS. 



♦ B. Benefited, N. B. Not benefited, I. ludlUerent. 



"The reports on legumes other than alfalfa have been so few that they 

 have little value in concluding as to the success of inoculation of these 

 crops. Because of this the alfalfa reports are the only ones to be far- 

 ther considered in noting the influence of various factors on inoculation. 

 Many reports received did not indicate that sufficient precaution had 

 been taken in carrying out the experiment to warrant the answer given 

 to the question respecting benefit to crop. For instance, although there 

 was no seed planted uninoculated, the answer would be that the crop 



