THE NEW EARTH 



terious in all the strange functions of the 

 earth. But the chief fact of importance in 

 present consideration is that the once-dreaded 

 tubercles are storehouses of food for future 

 plant uses. 



It so happens that in certain soils none of 

 these particular bacteria is found. It was so in 

 the case of the Kansas soil. So the attempt 

 was made to take them from the soil where 

 they were, so to speak, native, and transport 

 them. 



In this instance the soil transported was 

 from the state of Massachusetts. It was dry, 

 uninteresting dirt, not unlike dust in appear- 

 ance. For several years soy beans had been 

 planted on the farm at the Kansas College, but 

 no nodules, or tubercles, were found upon the 

 roots, no tiny storehouses of the precious ni- 

 trogen. This was considered ample proof that 

 no bacteria of this kind were to be found in 

 the soil. When it came time to plant, some of 

 the soil from the eastern state, a twentieth of 

 a pint to a hill, was put around the seeds. 

 Alongside of these beans, but sufficiently apart 

 to insure individuality of action, other beans 

 were planted in the normal soil without the 



36 



