1912.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 125 



are stimulated much more than others by this treatment. Most 

 crops require special handling in sterilized soils, otherwise trou- 

 ble is likely to follow. 



Many different methods of sterilizing soils have been devel- 

 oped, and the writer has experimented with practically every- 

 thing there is in this line. There is no doubt that many soils 

 can be greatly improved by sterilization, and in the future it will 

 be more extensively employed not only for the destruction of 

 pathogenic organisms, but, like electricity and other stimuli, as 

 a means of hastening crop production. 



The writer at one time had exj^erience with a soil which would 

 not grow lettuce. When it was sterilized, however, no further 

 difficulty was experienced with it. Even muck soils, which are 

 rich in organic matter and generally injurious to plant growth, 

 can be greatly improved by leaching and sterilizing. 



In the south there are many acres of soil seriously affected 

 with Sclerotinia which can be treated effectively at no great cost, 

 and in the future soil sterilization is bound to become of prac- 

 tical use for field work. There is no reason why methods cannot 

 be adapted for cheap and effective sterilizing of outdoor soils if 

 the land be fairly level and free from stone. 



