228 The National Geographic Magazine 



in size from a pin-head, in the case of 

 clover, to large clusters. Clover and 

 beans possessing these tubercles will 

 flourish in quartz sand after it has been 

 heated to a red heat in order to drive out 

 all nitrogen, while these plants without 

 tubercles will not grow unless there is 

 some nitrate in the soil. It was thus 

 seen that if plants could be artificially 

 presented with bacteria tubercles the 

 plants would flourish in the poorest and 

 thinnest soil. 



The nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the 

 tubercles were separated several years 

 ago in Germany, but it remained for an 

 American, Dr George T. Moore, of the 

 Office of Pathological and Physiological 

 Investigations of the Department of Ag- 

 riculture, to devise a method by which 

 these bacteria might be cultivated arti- 

 ficially in such form that their nitrogen- 



fixing power should be increased and 

 be permanent and not evaporate. Great 

 quantities of these germs are now being 

 cultivated by the Department. Enough 

 germs are sent in each little package to 

 inoculate seeds for one or four acres. 

 Each cake costs the government about 

 two cents to manufacture, less than a 

 cent an acre. Dr Moore's process has 

 been patented by him, and has been by 

 him generously deeded to the American 

 people. 



It must be clearly understood, how- 

 ever, that only seeds of leguminous 

 plants — peas, alfalfa, beans, etc. — can 

 be benefited by the nitrogen-fixing bac- 

 teria. Where the soil is rich and fer- 

 tile, the crop is not appreciably increased 

 by the use of the inoculating bacteria, 

 but where the soil is poor, the harvest 

 is increased manv times. 



Copyright, 1904, by O. T. Crosby 



An Abandoned Monastery in Ladakh 



Ladakh was originally a part of Tibet, then became independent, and in 1839 was annexed to 

 Kasbmir. The type of buildings is very similar to that of Lhasa 



