182 STATE BOARD OF AGRICULTURE 



spores" was read at the Detroit Meeting of the Society of American 

 Bacteriologists December 21), 1022. This paper was then submitted to 

 tlie Journal of Bacteriology. 



[G. L. A. RUEHLE.] 



Last year the work of preparing and dispensing pure cultures of the 

 nitrogen-lixing bacteria was in the hands of an assistant who resigned 

 at the close of the year. This work is not simple routine but of such 

 a nature that great skill and close attention are demanded with every 

 oj)eration. Damage of a negative cliaracter may result from careless- 

 ness in any step in the process. It seemed advisable to put this work 

 back into the hands of Dr. Snyder where we Avould l)e assured it would 

 not be neglected. The only disadvantage in this plan is tliat it inter- 

 feres Willi the researcli work on tlie decomposition of peat. However, 

 Dr. Snyder has been able to keep his project in operation. His report 

 follows : 



Report of Research Assoc\}afe R. M. Snyder. 



During tlie ])ast year the studies on the l»acterial decomposition of 

 peat have been continued. Tlie ]»eat cylinders have been cropped as in 

 previous years, and the crop threshed in order to determine the amount 

 of seed, leaf, and stem material. Sam])les of the peat and drainage 

 waters have been collected from each cylinder for further bacteriological 

 and chemical study. The buckwheat crop obtained during the year 1920 

 has been rethreshed in oi-dcr to obtain more information regarding the 

 distriltution of plant food between stem and leaf material. Studies 

 liave been carried on in the greenhouse on the inoculation of peat with 

 l»ure cultures of cellulose decomposing organisms, and it is planned to 

 continue this work in the future. 



The course in Soil Bacteriology was taught during the Fall Term, 

 and repeated during the Winter Term. The course in Agricultural 

 Bacteriology for the short course students was also giveii during the 

 winter. 



Exhibit and demonstration material illustrating some of the more 

 important ])hases of Soil Bacteriology was prepared for the State Fair 

 and several county fairs. Plates and cultures illustrating various groups 

 of soil organisms have been prepared and sent to a number of teachers 

 of biology and agriculture in the secondary schools of the state. 



The distribution of legume cultures to Michigan Farmers at cost 

 has been continued as in previous seasons. Certain features concerned 

 with the production of these cultures in the laboratory have been im- 

 proved and. simplified, making possible a saving of time for all con 

 cerned, and consequent reduction in cost of production. For instance, 

 a technique for inoculating the cultures has been worked out which 

 permits a single operator to inoculate between one and two thousand 

 cultures per hour. We are greatly indebted to the county agents and 

 farm bureaus for their aid and co-operation in this work. We have 

 reason to believe that the legume cultures are of educational as well as 

 economic value, in that through them, the farmers' attention is called 

 more directly to some of the factors which are concerned in soil fertility. 

 The distribution of legume cultures during the past year, tabulated ac- 

 cording to month and crop, was as follows: 



