134 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



manuring, liming or in some other way. The suggestion 

 that the distribution of certain forms of bacteria for appli- 

 cation to the soil is going to cause the growth of wonderful 

 crops, render fertilizers unnecessary, overcome the untoward 

 soil conditions brought about by unwise methods, and 

 thereby revolutionize farming, is arrant nonsense. Soil bac- 

 teria are not a cure-all for the ills of agriculture. Probably 

 the introduction of certain new crops will be much aided by 

 soil inoculation, as seems to be shown by our experiences 

 with alfalfa and the soy l)ean. But in any case soil inocu- 

 lation is a single factor in crop production, success resting 

 largely, in the case of our long-cultivated legumes, upon 

 soil management, and not upon a tube full of organisms. 

 This is not said as an attempt to minimize in the least the 

 importance of the investigations in question ; they are of 

 great value, and reflect much credit upon the scientists who 

 have secured for us this marvellous insight into nature's 

 methods. 



In view of what I have said, you are doubtless wondering 

 what conclusions I shall reach concerning certain specula- 

 tions that have been recently placed before us by another 

 great scientific bureau, — conclusions bearing directly upon 

 your practical relations to the maintenance of farm fertility 

 through the use of manures, either commercial or otherwise. 



Doubtless enough has been said about Bulletin No. 22, 

 issued ])y the United States Department of Agriculture. It 

 is not strange that this publication should have attracted a 

 great deal of attention, partly because of its source and partly 

 because of the radical character of its statements. The un- 

 informed were alarmed by its conclusions, and those well 

 informed felt that in this publication the fundamentals of 

 scientific demonstration had been ignored, and that doctrines 

 had been promulgated which would be confusing rather than 

 helpful to practical discussions, — even possibly antagonis- 

 tic to the encouragement of sound practice. The general 

 trend of this bulletin was to emphasize soil conditions, and 

 minimize the importance of soil composition. It was an 

 emphatic reaction against older views that were possibly as 

 irrational and incomplete as many of us believe those of the 



