APRIL 15, 1914 



295 



A more iliN 



of one of (lie apiaries of Gaetano Piana, Ca 



'tro, Bologna, Italy. 



placed in watei' and very gently washed to 

 avoid breaking off their most minute fibers. 

 Note the small white, pinkish or brownish 

 lumps that are there to be seen. These are 

 the nodules which are homes of myriads of 

 bacteria which are plainly seen when any 

 lump is crushed under a compound micro- 

 scope of high power. Not only are sue)] 

 lumps the homes of bacteria, but they are 

 composed almost entirely of available nitro- 

 gen, transformed from the unavailable ni- 

 trogen of the atmosphere by the vital action 

 of these microscopical organisms, and thus 

 rendered fit for immediate use by the plants 

 upon which they gTow, as well as by other 

 plants that may be grown in the same soil. 

 Therefore, it can be seen that, the more of 

 such legume plants are grown in any soil, 

 the more fertile will the soil become from 

 the standpoint of increase of nitrogen and 

 organic material therefrom. 



As the plants mature they draw upon the 

 nitrogen stored in the nodules on their 

 rootlets, using part of it in the formation 

 of tissue, especially seeds. 



A bulletin just at hand. No. 145, from 

 the Agricultural Experiment Station at 

 Brookings, S. D., says, "Every ton of clover 

 hay takes 40 pounds of nitrogen from the 

 air, and every ton of alfalfa takes 50 

 pounds from the air through the roots of 



these plants." Hence by gi'owing these 

 crops, or other legume crops, and returning 

 them to the soil, either directly or after they 

 have been transformed into manure, a sup- 

 ply of nitrogen in the soil may be main- 

 tained, provided, of course, that sufficient 

 amount of legumes are grown. 



So much for the primary story of in- 

 creasing soil fertility, which is really more 

 important than increasing the size of the 

 farm. Now, there is a secondary point 

 for consideration, which, for us as beekeep- 

 ers, is of no small importance. This is the 

 fact that, among the very best honey-pro- 

 ducing plants of the world, are the legumes. 

 In connection with crimson clover and lo- 

 cust-blossoms in the spring Ave have a close 

 succession of alsike, white clover, sweet 

 yellow clover, alfalfa, and sweet white 

 clover, all of which the honey-bees work on 

 to a very remarkable extent. Every one of 

 these legumes here mentioned is of great 

 benefit as a soil renewer, and at the same 

 time they are recognized as being the chief 

 honey-producing plants of America, with 

 but few exceptions. 



Another important j^oint of the story is 

 that, in addition to being soil-renewers and 

 neetar-yielders, they are our greatest forage- 

 plants. No plants contain as much protein, 

 or are as beneficial as feed for live stock. 



