472 



SOIL SCIENCE 



TABLE III 



COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF THE BIOCHEMICAL FEATURES OF 



CELLULOSE-DISSOLVING BACTERIA 



of future generations of green plants is largely controlled by the liberation 

 of this large store of potential energy through decomposition processes in 

 the soil. 



It is well known that through the agency of microorganisms, vegeta- 

 ble matter is gradually transformed into the complex mixtures ordinarily 

 known as humus. In all cultivated soils, it is important to replenish 

 from time to time the organic matter in the soil by the application of 

 stable manure, green manure, etc. In semi-arid soils where the growth 



