The Conflicting Opinions 333 



Recent information on the problen. — In the light of 

 recent bacteriological studies by Kaserer, in Austria, 

 the contradictory results of different investigators are 

 fairly intelligible. We now know that there occur in 

 manure, as in the soil, certain organisms capable of 

 causing the oxidation of ammonia. Much still remains 

 to be learned concerning their habits and their relation 

 to other bacteria concerned with the transformation 

 of nitrogen compounds. There is reason to believe, at 

 the same time, that they attain their fullest develop- 

 ment under conditions most favorable to the rapid 

 oxidation of organic matter. 



In the system of earth-closets by which the excreta 

 and paper are destroyed in an incredibly short time 

 without any marked accumulation of nitrogenous sub- 

 stances, the work of destruction must be accomplished 

 by just such organisms. Similarly, in open, sandy soils, 

 in which the humus and the organic manures applied 

 disappear rapidly, the same organisms must be active. 



These facts indicate that apart from a plentiful 

 supply of oxygen, these bacteria are favored in their 

 development. Furthermore, they are able to meet the 

 competition of other organisms when the prevailing 

 temperatures are fairly high and when the proportion 

 of moisture in the medium is rather low. High tempera- 

 tures are found both in loosely stored manure and in 

 light-colored, porous soils. The same may be said, also, 

 of the moisture content in the manure and soil in ques- 

 tion. The study of these bacteria offers an attractive 

 field for the discovery of new and interesting facts. 

 Such studies may teach us, besides, how to suppress 



