122 THE STORY OF GERM LIFE. 



meats for any length of time unless he checks 

 their growth in some way. They get into the 

 eggs of his fowls and ruin them. Their trouble- 

 some nature in the dairy in preventing the keep- 

 ing of milk has already been noticed. If he 

 plants his seeds in very moist, damp weather, 

 the soil bacteria cause too rapid a decomposition 

 of the seeds and they rot in the ground instead 

 of sprouting. They produce disagreeable odours, 

 and are the cause of most of the peculiar smells, 

 good and bad, around the barn. They attack 

 the organic matter which gets into his well or 

 brook or pond, decomposing it, filling the water 

 with disagreeable and perhaps poisonous products 

 which render it unfit to drink. They not only aid 

 in the decay of the fallen tree in his forests, but 

 in the same way attack the timber which he 

 wishes to preserve, especially if it is kept in a 

 moist condition. Thus they contribute largely 

 to the gradual destruction of wooden structures. 

 It is therefore the presence of these organisms 

 which forces him to dry his hay, to smoke his 

 hams, to corn his beef, to keep his fruits and 

 vegetables cool and prevent skin bruises, to ice 

 his dairy, to protect his timber from rain, to use 

 stone instead of wooden foundations for build- 

 ings, etc. In general, when the farmer desires 

 to get rid of any organic refuse, he depends upon 

 bacteria, for they are his sole agents (aside from 

 fire) for the final destruction of organic matter. 

 When he wishes to convert waste organic refuse 

 into fertilizing material, he uses the bacteria of 

 his compost heap. On the other hand, whenever 

 he desires to preserve organic material, the 

 bacteria are the enemies against which he must 

 carefully guard. 



