HEARINGS BEFORE COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE. 1238 
what we sent out, and I will tear the end of this open so you can see 
what is in there. 
i aa passed around packages to the members of the com- 
mittee. 
Mr. Gattoway. In this connection I would simply like to say that 
one of the great problems of this country is the securing of a supply 
of nitrogen for the soil. We are sending out every year in our export 
products, we figure, something like $100,000,000 worth of nitrogen, 
and we have to get that back into the soil. We can get it back by the 
application of nitrogenous fertilizers, and this is becoming more diffi- 
cult because the soils are becoming exhausted. We can get it back, 
however, by the growing of green manure-like alfalfa and the grow- 
ing of soy beans and things of that sort, and we can add to their effi- 
ciency by treating the seed with these nitrifying organisms. By the 
application of these organisms, which are in the first place isolated 
from the plants themselves, taken at the roots themselves and grown 
under artificial conditions in a laboratory and grown in such a way 
that their effectiveness is increased from three to five times, and then 
they are turned loose again on the plant, the result is that the crops 
are from three to five times greater than if these organisms had not 
been put on. 
Mr. Scorr. Those cultures can only be obtained through laboratory 
operations ! 
Mr. Gattoway. Yes, only through laboratory operations. 
Mr. Grarr. But they can be multiplied by the farmer himself? 
Mr. Gattoway. Yes; This is sent to the farmer and he is given 
sunple instructions that enable him to multiply them indefinitely. 
Mr. Scorr. That is what I was getting at. 
Mr. Woops. I will explain how this is used. This is a pure culture 
of the organism for alfalfa, and I will pass these around. There is 
one for, say, beans and one for clover [handing packages to members 
of the committee]. That is impregnated with billions of the germs; 
they show under the microscope. The farmer gets that—gets these 
two packages which are done up this way. That is phosphoric acid 
and potash [indicating on package]. He puts that in a pail of water, 
and then puts the cotton in, and then sets the pail of water in a warm 
place—by a stove or some other place where the temperature is warm 
enough—and the next morning he will notice that it is slightly milky 
in color. Heis then jshrcted to drop in No. 3, which is a stimulant; 
that gives us the organism there. 
Instead of dividing once in half an hour, they will divide once in 
fifteen minutes, and that increases in a geometrical ratio, so by the 
next morning he. has a pail of stuff that looks like milk. Then he 
puts that in a sprinkling can and sprinkles it over the seeds, and the 
seed is then ready to sow. That quantity will inoculate 5 acres. If 
a& man writes and says he wants enough for 5 acres, we send him this 
[indicating]. If he says that he wants enough for 400 acres we send 
him a typewritten sheet like this which gives him simple instructions 
as to how to proceed. It is very easy to do this and the farmer can 
do it himself. 
Mr. Scorr. I can understand how he can multiply these organisms, 
but the question I asked was whether he could produce the organisms 
in the beginaing? 
