HUM L's — II r.Moc.i'.N. J47 



fact wiiich lod to the thoui^lu that there niij^ht lie aecessory 

 foodstuti's in it of a nature somewhat similar to Hoi)kins' vita- 

 mines of animal growth. A. Machen, writing in the Fruit, 

 Flowi'r Olid Vciictablc Trades Journal, makes the following 

 claims on hehalf of humogen : — 



[. It is ;m enlin.-ly organic niati.ri:il. a lar^t- purtiiui nf wliicli is 



sulul)le ammonium huniate. 

 _'. It directly introduces nitrosjen lixint; organisms into the soil ami 



jirovides tlie food necessary for tlieir rapid multiplication. 

 T,. It is a source of accessory foo<l hodirs which act hy stimulatin.g the 



natural growth of activities. 

 4. Plants will grow in a water extract of humogen. 



Rosenheim, for instance, potted primulas in what is con- 

 sidered by gardeners to be an excellent mixture, i-c, leaf mould, 

 loam and sand. Each pot was treated in precisely the same man- 

 ner, excepting that some pots received a water extract of o.t8 

 gram of humogen twice a week. In six weeks the plants re- 

 ceiving the extract of humogen were double the size of the 

 others, while the number of roots and blooms was equally in- 

 creased. Ex])enments with tomatoes, potatoes, etc., gave similar 

 results, with the seqtiel that the sensation-loving Press tolrl the 

 world that, in consequence of Bottomley's discoveries, it wt)uld 

 he possible for a family to grow its vegetables in the drawing- 

 room — pure nonsense, of course. 



Let me now summarise the genuine claims made on behalf 

 of this wonderful substance : — 



T. It leads to an increased nitrogcn-lixing power in the soil, and 



serves to infect legumes. 

 2. It increases the availability of potash and phosphoric acid in the 



soil- 

 .^ It increases the development of Ix^th root and leaf. 



4. It increases the yield of seed. 



5. It leads to earlier maturity. 



6. It protects plants not only from disease, hut also from insect pests, 



i.e.. eel worm. 



In considering these properties, it is necessary to bear in 

 mind the specific acti(Mi of nitrogen, potash and phosphoric acid 

 on plant growth. 



Xitrogen is potent in increasing growth above ground, in delaying 

 maturity and in increasing susceptibility to attacks by disease and insect 

 pests. 



Potassium also delays maturity: it produces a wcll-hlled sei-d. and 

 renders the plant resistant to disease. 



Phosphorus increases root develoi^nu-nt. the yield of Mowers and 

 seed and brings about an earlier maturity. 



An examination of these two sets of properties would seem 

 to show that in humogen there are combined all the desirable 

 specific effects of the three princi])al plant- food elements. The 

 dii^culty had always been to get increased growth by nitro- 

 genous manuring without its evil effects. How is it that humo- 

 gen is able to accomplish the ideal? h its action on soil potash 



