162 THE SPIRIT OF THE SOIL 



market until its qualities have been thoroughly 

 tested, and, of course, until an estimate of its cost 

 is available it will be impossible to appraise its 

 value as an agricultural accessory. The prospect at 

 present, however, is exceedingly bright, and farmers 

 will do well to watch its progress and developments 

 during the coming season.'' 



The Field, August 7, 1915. 



" Humogen is the name given to what has hitherto 

 been known as bacterized peat, a preparation which 

 Professor Bottomley has made famous by proving 

 that it stimulates plant growth, not only with 

 respect to fatness of leaves and shoots, but also with 

 respect to the free development of flowers, fruit, and 

 roots. Exactly what it is that causes ordinary farm 

 and garden soil to become so exceedingly fertile 

 when humogen has been added to it may be known 

 to Professor Bottomley, but it is not clear to the 

 practical cultivator, who understands well enough 

 the action of fertilizing manures, natural and arti- 

 ficial, but is puzzled by the stimulating influence of 

 ordinary peat moss to which nitrogen-fixing bacteria 

 have been added. This peat before treatment is of 

 very little value to the cultivator. It may contain 

 plant food as well as the humic acid, the presence of 

 which is said to render the food unavailable; but 

 assuming that the whole of this food is freed by the 

 treatment to which it is subjected by Professor 

 Bottomley, that alone would not account for the 

 growth made by the plants fed with it. 



" It appears likely that we are on the track of 

 important revelations respecting plant food, for we 

 are assured by men like Dr. Russell that the text- 

 books are quite wrong on the subject. What culti- 

 vated plants really require, and the easiest and 

 best way to supply it, are questions of great import- 





