SELF-MAINTAINING FERTILITY 227 



THE IMPORTANCE OF BACTERIA THE SECRET OF 

 UNENDING FERTILITY 



I hope you have realized how great this is, from 

 the outline I gave you of the action of these 

 organisms. It is only a short time since the very 



These young wheat plants, grown under the same climatic condi- 

 tions show the effect of soil sterilization. The soil in pot 1 was 

 untreated; that in pot 2 was subjected to toluene vapor for twenty 

 minutes: that in pot 3 was heated to 212 F. The death of bacteria- 

 destroying organisms results in increased bacterial activity and 

 increased plant growth 



existence of soil bacteria was discovered. Yet now 

 they are recognized as the foundation of the won- 

 derful changes and actions, both constructive and 

 destructive, that are going on in the soil. 



One of the recent, important developments along 

 this line of research has disclosed a remarkable 



