203 



two days after they had been treated and sowed promptly, 

 November 12. The following spring he reports as follows : 



"Some of the plants on the inoculated plot were dark 

 green and a foot high, others not so high or green on the same 

 plot. The plants on the other plot (seed not inoculated) were 

 very small and yellow. " 



It is clear that Nitragin, kept here for some time in bot- 

 tles, then opened, applied in solution to seed, and sent to 

 farmers through the mails, has generally failed to inoculate 

 the plants growing from the seed thus treated. 



This failure of co-operative tests, in connection with our 

 success in using fresh Nitragin, suggests that those who use 

 Nitragin must themselves open the sealed bottles, use the ma- 

 terial on the proper seed, and plant the seed promptly. 



This general failure of Nitragin distributed with nu- 

 merous delays as above, does not argue against the necessity 

 of inoculation for crimson clover and hairy vetch in many 

 parts of the state. The great number of plants found to be 

 nearly or quite free from all tubercles or from those of proper 

 size, indicates that effective inoculation would generally be 

 beneficial to these plants. 



These tests of crimson clover and hairy vetch made by 

 farmers indicate, if taken as a whole, that these two plants 

 •cannot be successfully grown on most of the soils where they 

 have been tried under our direction without effective artificial 

 inoculation. 



Relative Yields op Rye and Hairy Vetch. 



Rye and hairy vetch were grown under identical condi- 

 tions on the sandy field sown November 4, 1897. 



All plots were fertilized with like quantities of mineral 

 fertilizer, using 36 quarts of seed per acre on the rye plot and 

 30 quarts per acre on the vetch plots. 



One twelfth-acre plot of rye (Plot 1) was cut April 7, 

 when in full bloom. The rj^e on the other (Plot 2) was turned 

 under as a fertilizer for the succeeding crop. First, however, 

 on May 7, 1898, the nearly mature rye on a carefully selected 



