THE ADVANTAGES FROM CAPITAL 91 



It has received its greatest impetus in America, under the 

 experiments of Professor Moore of the United States Agri- 

 cultural Department. 



The Department supplied free to farmers the bacteria 

 for inoculation. Now they supply it only for experimental 

 purposes. A laboratory has been fitted up for the work. 

 The method is to propagate bacteria for each of the various 

 leguminous plants such as clover, alfalfa, soy beans, cow 

 peas, tares, and velvet beans. .All of these plants are of 

 incalculable value hi different sections of the country as 

 forage for farm animals. In the West, alfalfa is the main 

 reliance for stockraisers. The fanners of the East are 

 trying to establish it, but meet with difficulty chiefly for 

 want of the special bacteria which should be found on the 

 roots. 



The function of these bacteria is to gather the nitrogen of 

 the air and supply it as plant food. Without the bacteria 

 the plant can get only the nitrogen which is supplied from 

 the soil in fertilizers. With the aid of the bacteria the grow- 

 ing plant can derive the greater part of its food from the air. 



Here is one of the results of the use of inoculated seed as 

 reported by the United States Agricultural Bulletin No. 214. 



G. L. Thomas, experimenting with field peas on his farm 

 near Auburn, Me., made a special test with fertilized and 

 unfertilized strips, and stated that "inoculated seed did as 

 much without fertilizers of any kind, as uninoculated seed 

 supplied with fertilizer (phosphate) at the rate of 800 pounds 

 and a ton of barnyard manure per acre." 



This seems to be only in its infancy. The Department 

 warns us that nitrogen inoculation is useless where the soil 

 already has enough nitrogen and where other plant foods 

 are absent. 



