﻿AGRICULTURAL UTILIZATION OF ACID LANDS. ( 



THE MYCORHIZAL FUNGI. 



It has been found that the blueberry requires an arid soil, that it 

 grows luxuriantly in a mixture of peat and sand containing nitrates 

 in extremely minute quantities, il*, indeed, they are present at all. 

 The plant bears upon its roots a fungus the microscopic threads of 

 which lie partly on the outside of the root, but penetrate also into the 

 living interior. While the experimental results can not as yet be 

 regarded as furnishing an absolute proof, the evidence strongly indi- 

 cates that the fungus takes up organic nitrogen from the abundant 

 supply existing in the peat and delivers it to the plant in some 

 available form. 



These mycorhizal fungi exist on the roots of many wild plants, 

 inhabiting acid peat. The extent to w r hich they occur on the roots of 

 cultivated plants that grow in acid soil is not yet known. It can 

 hardly be doubted, however, that many such plants will ultimately 

 be found to take their nitrogen through these fungi. Other acid- 

 land plants will doubtless be found to possess the ability to use nitro- 

 gen in the form of ammonia without the help of fungi. 



This outline of the probable means of nitrogen assimilation in 

 acid-land plants prepares the way for the following survey of crops 

 adapted to acid soils. 



CROPS ADAPTED TO ACID SOILS. 



BLUEBERRY. 



The blueberry, to which allusion has already been made, gives 

 every indication of adaptability to commercial culture, now that its 

 soil requirements and its peculiarities of nutrition are known. The 

 establishment of a blueberry-growing industry will mean the utiliza- 

 tion of sandy, acid lands in the pine barrens of New Jersey and 

 similar situations now regarded as almost useless agriculturally. 



CRANBERRY. 



The cranberry is an acid-land fruit. It has a root fungus similar 

 to that of the blueberry and doubtless of the same importance to the 

 welfare of the plant. The lands used for cranberry culture are of a 

 special kind, with such an excess of moisture and acidity that in 

 comparatively few instances would they have been used for any other- 

 agricultural purpose. 



STRAWBERRY. 



The strawberry is now coming to be recognized as a plant that 

 thrives as well, if not a little better, in soils having an acid reaction. 

 The grower who appreciates this characteristic of the strawberry is 

 relieved of the expense of applying lime to his land unless required 

 by other plants in his crop rotation. 



