140 



GLEANINGS IN DEK CULTURE. 



Feb. 1 



make allowance. The others were too hard 

 for use; but by the middle of January I pro- 

 nounced the Pabner Greening about the fin- 

 est apple I ever tasted; and while enjoying 

 them, I inwardly thanked God for having 

 placed it within the power of man to produce 

 such beautiful apples. The American Beauty 

 is still too hard to test fairly. I sent our 

 good friend Gleanings a year to pay him 

 for his trouble, and especially prepaying the 

 express charges from Massachusetts; and in 

 reply he sends some more in regard to his 

 high-pressure gardening around his little 

 home {to be given in our next issue) , which I 

 am sure will interest a great number of our 

 readers. Such homes as the ones he de- 

 scribes are more to be desired than great 

 riches or almost any thing else in this world. 



INOCULATION OF SOIL FOR LEGUMES; OR, 



CARRYING FERTILIZER IN YOUR "VEST 



pocket" SUFFICIENT TO IMPROVE 



GREATLY AN ACRE OF 



GROUND. 



The Department of Agriculture has issued 

 a bulletin (No. 71) in regard to the above 

 matter. In fact, the bulletin in my hand is 

 dated Jan. 23, 1905. It came through the 

 mails to-day, Jan. 26. This bulletin contains 

 72 pages of reading-matter and 9 of illustra- 

 tions. During the past few years the De- 

 partment of Agriculture has sent out about 

 12,500 packages of artificial cultures for pre- 

 paring the seed of all the clovers and legumes 

 so they will produce the nitrogen nodules we 

 have several times talked about. These 

 wonderful bacteria are sent in a little bit of 

 bacteria-infected cotton. This cotton will 

 hold millions of the little plants, if that is 

 what they should be called. In order to give 

 the bacteria a good chance you take a gal- 

 lon of clean rain water and dissolve in it the 

 chemical sent along with the bacteria. This 

 is to cleanse the water from any bacteria al- 

 ready existing in it. The magic piece of 

 cotton is then dropped into the solution. 

 After 24 hours, add package 23; and in 24 

 hours more, if the hquid is kept at a warm 

 temperature, but not greater than blood 

 heat (97 degrees), the liquid will have as- 

 sumed a cloudy or milky appearance, indicat- 

 ing that the bacteria have gone all through 

 it, something as yeast goes through a suit- 

 able liquid. Now, yourclover seed, beans, peas, 

 or whatever it is, is to be thoroughly moist- 

 ened with this liquid; then dried, and plant- 

 ed in the usual manner. The Department 

 has already received over 2500 reports from 

 all over the United States; and almost every 

 one testifies that the legumes were not only 

 greatly superior in luxuriance, but that the 

 peculiar nitrogen nodules were found in 

 abundance on the treated field, and almost 

 none at all on the untreated. The plates in 

 the back part of the bulletin make this 

 whole matter exceedingly plain. Experi- 

 ments have already been made with alfalfa 

 and other clovers; cow peas, soy beans, vel- 

 vet bean, garden peas, and sweet peas; and 

 great benefit has a,ccrued in almost every 

 case where the bacteria were used accord- 



ing to directions. For either Bulletin 71 or 

 inoculating material, address United States 

 Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. 

 C. 



Below is something from Prof. Thorne, in 

 answer to an inquiry from myself in regard 

 to the nitro-culture that is bting extensive- 

 advertised. 



ly 



Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, 1 

 WoosTER, Ohio, Jan. 17, 1905. 1 



Mr. A. I. i2oot.— Regarding- the niti'o-culture t will 

 say that there is undoubtedly some foundation for the 

 expectation that these cultures would sometimes be 

 serviceable. The principle upon which their usefulness 

 depends is that many or most of the leguminous plants 

 have associated with them a species of bacterium which 

 forms the nodules which we see upon their roots, and 

 through which the free nitrogen of the air which per- 

 meates the soil about the roots is converted into forms 

 upon which the plants may feed. These bacteria are of 

 different species for the different species of plants, so 

 that the claim of the nitro-culture people, that they have 

 a special bacterium for each different legume, has a 

 scientific foundation for its basis. 



To illustrate how these bacteria work, the soy beans 

 which are growing at the Station, when planted on 

 land which has never before grown soy beans, will pro- 

 duce almost no nodules on the roots the first season; but 

 when planted the second season on the same land, prac- 

 tically every plant will carry an abundance of these 

 nodules. The soy bean, you know, is a new plant to 

 Ohio agriculture, and so is alfalfa. These plants may 

 no doubt be benefited by either innoculating the seed or 

 the soil. The same principle applies generally. Clover, 

 however, has been grown here since the beginning of 

 agriculture in Ohio, and we would not expect to find 

 any soil which is not already infected with the bacteria 

 peculiar to the clover-plant. Dr. Moore, of the Bureau 

 of Plant Industry, United States Department of Agri- 

 culture, Washington, D. C, claims to have developed a 

 system of inoculating the seeds of various legumes 

 with the bacteria peculiar to the different species, so 

 so that nodules will be foxmed the first season of growth. 

 In our experiments thus far we have not been very suc- 

 cessful along this line, but we are still using Dr. Moore's 

 preparation and we are also using those advertised by 

 the nitro-culture company. 



Our sugrgestion to the Ohio farmers would be to let 

 the Experiment Station study this matter a year before 

 they invest much money in it, especially as the genuine 

 organisms may be procured free of cost on application 

 to the National Department of Agriculture. 



Chas. E. Thorne. 



Wants and Exchange. 



Notices will be inserted under this head at 15 cts. per line, 

 i.dvertisement8 intended for this department should not ex- 

 oeed tive lines, und you must say you want your advertise- 

 ment in this department or we will not be responsible for 

 arrors. y^ou can have the notice as many lines as you like; 

 Out all over live lines will cost you according to our regular 

 fates. This department is intended only for bona-flde ex- 

 changes. Exchanges for cash or for price lists, or notice* 

 offering articles for sale, will be charged our regular rateB 

 of 20 cts. per line, and they will bo put in other depart- 

 ments. We can not be responsible for dissatisfaction arig- 

 :ng from these " swaps." 



w 



ANTED.— To exchange ladies' $60 bicycle for type- 

 writer. Lock Box 4, East Calais, Vt. 



Y^ ANTED.— To exchange incubator and homer pig- 

 eons for honey. G. Routzahn, Biglerville, Pa. 



w 



ANTED.— To exchange dental outfit, consisting of 

 chair, engine, and lathe; want bees and supplies. 

 Wm. C. C. Ball, Plainfield, Conn. 



IVANTED. — To exchange 8-f rame hives, extractor, 

 "' and uncapping-can, for honey. Root's goods. 

 O. H. Hyatt, Shenandoah, Iowa. 



Y^ ANTED. —Two Dadant uncapping-cans. Must be in 

 ■ good condition. 



F. A. Gray, Redwood Falls, Minn. 



VVANTED.— 500 queens the coming season; quote 

 ^' prices, state strain and delivery. Address 



The Rocky Mountain Bee Co., Berthoud, Col. 



