EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 283 



which contains, "Failures definitely ascribed to bad season, poor seed, weed 

 growth, etc." Out of 2,502 reports upon alfalfa, red clover, garden pea, common 

 bean, cowpea, soy bean, hairy vetch, crimson clover, field pea, velvet bean, 

 alsike, sweet pea, and berseem, 574 were failures due to the above named causes, 

 while 339 showed no evident advantage from inoculation. From a practical 

 standpoint the failures, of whatever nature, should be considered as such in de- 

 nomstrating to the public what the real values of this inoculating material are. 

 On the other hand, when we can tell with precision the exact conditions under 

 which inoculating material will prove successfully effective, we shall have solved 

 the question in as satisfactory a manner as we now hope to be able to do. Our 

 efforts, at present, are directed along this line with this end in view. 



Through the results published by Dr. Moore in Bulletin No. 71, and from popu- 

 lar articles appearing in agricultural papers and journals, much injudicious 

 enthusiasm has been aroused in this matter which portends trouble for the 

 agricultural public through no fault of its own, because it is in no position to 

 interpret these articles correctly. Information of this character given out to 

 these eager rural peoples by overzealous progressive writers is of a nature to be 

 severely criticised. Exaggerated and misleading articles have appeared, based 

 entirely upon results obtained from limited conditions. The effect of such state- 

 ments has been very annoying and perhaps detrimental to the subsequent solu- 

 tion of this yet perplexing problem. A still more serious effect, perhaps, is that 

 the expectations of a less conservative rural public are wrought up to such a 

 pitch as to look for results entirely beyond reason, and to regard it as a panacea 

 for all crop failures. This is due in a certain degree to a lack of knowledge 

 of the real powers of these micro-organisms and their limitations. 



It is essential to bear in mind that the use of inoculating material as»a means 

 for definite gain is in the experimental stage only. Practically all the results 

 upon which we can base any stress are confined to limited efforts during a very 

 brief period. Until this work has been confirmed and the conditions for manipu- 

 lation, control, and growth learned, both favorable and unfavorable results must 

 be expected and judgment suspended. 



As implied, the enthusiasm created by various misinformed writers has led 

 the farmer to expect too much from the use of inoculating material from what- 

 ever source it may be obtained. It is our purpose to caution against undue haste 

 in the matter unless farmers are willing to look upon it as an experiment rather 

 than something established. With this end in view, plots have been secured in 

 different sections of our State, on representative soils, to be used for determin- 

 ing the efficiency of pure cultures of the nitrogen-fixing organism in connection 

 with legumes. Inoculated and uninoculated seeds of alfalfa, June clover, soy 

 beans, and cowpeas were sowed on these plots and results favorable or otherwise 

 will be looked forward to with great interest. 



Along this same line Director C. D. Smith, who initiated this work at the 

 Station, is continuing with experiments in testing inoculating material from 

 different sources, different methods of inoculating, in fact, covering many prac- 

 tical phases of this work and he, with F. W. Robison. has already embodied very 

 valuable results in Bulletin No. 224, in which is discussed among other things, 

 the effect of inoculation upon the chemical constituents of the mature plant. 



With the combined efforts of Professor Smith and the workers in this depart- 

 ment, and also the work carried on elsewhere, results are looked for in the near 

 future that will enable us to say more definitely under what conditions and 

 to what extent we can expect inoculating material to be beneficial. 



Many requests for the coveted inoculating material were received early in the 

 winter of 1905. These demands made it necessary to take the matter up at once 

 and if possible determine for the benefit of the farmer, as well as for ourselves, 

 the advisability of distributing inoculating material. 



The work of isolating and cultivating these micro-organisms was begun early 

 in January and cultures to be used later upon seed for the field were developed 

 as directions indicate in the following technical portion of this Bulletin. Facts 

 concerning the life history of these micro-organisms may prove beneficial to the 

 farmer in his manipulation of the germs and in understanding their nature. 



To secure a culture of this organism free from contamination, the following 

 methods are employed by the writer: 



