THE TESTING OF HUMOGEN 139 



humus. It was known that in time, under the 

 influence of bacteria, the peat changed, forming 

 soluble humus, and experiments were made to see 

 whether the process could not be hastened by arti- 

 ficial means so that the bacteria might be distributed 

 in the soil with an abundant supply of food to 

 enable them to start their growth. 



The success of treating the peat with bacteria was 

 startling in the unexpectedness of its results. On 

 testing peat that had been exposed to bacterial 

 action it was found to be amazingly rich in soluble 

 humus, to yield, in fact, fifty to eighty times as much 

 as could be obtained from a corresponding weight of 

 the best rotted stable manure. Laboratory experi- 

 ments followed. As was to be expected, the Nitrogen- 

 fixing bacteria, Bacillus radicicola and Azotobacter 

 chroococcum flourished and multiplied when placed 

 in such a medium. Plants, too, responded readily 

 to the peat. When grown in sterilized sand watered 

 with the peat extract they grew luxuriantly, develop- 

 ing healthy roots, giving luxuriant foliage, and 

 coming more rapidly to maturity, thus proving that 

 Humogen contained everything necessary for plant 

 growth. 



The exact position of the work at this stage was 

 defined by Professor Bottomley in a paper he read 

 before the British Association at Dundee in 1912. 

 His official summary of the paper giving the essential 

 facts was as follows : 



" Peat-moss litter is said to be ' entirely unsuited 

 for the growth of plants.' It is acid in reaction, and 

 contains no soluble humates. 



