May 1908.] 



459 



Scientific Agriculture. 



The tendency of lime is to sink down 

 wards in the soil ; and therefore, it 

 should not be placed too deeply into the 

 ground, and after spreading, the running 

 of a set of heavy harrows over the 

 surface is generally .sufficient to incor- 

 porate ib with the soil. If ploughed 

 under, a large part of the beaefit of lime 

 is lost. Lime has the power of liberat- 

 ing ammonia from its compounds, and 

 consequently it should not be sown at 

 the same time as barn yard manure 

 or fertilisers containing sulphate of 

 ammonia, or a loss of the nitrogen is 

 likely to occur, 



Another benefit to the agriculturist 

 from the use of lime is in contending 

 against various fungus diseases of plants. 

 It is said to be of special benefit to 

 prevent "club foot," or " f oot-and-toe " 

 diseases of turnips, and in some iustances 

 scab in potatoes. It also destroys and 

 keeps in check slugs and worms, and 

 may no doubt destroy the larvae of 

 various insects. Ib is also stated to be 

 of assistance in encouraging the growth 

 of nitrifying organisms, and of the root 

 tubercles, of leguminous plants. 



The following list gives the classificat- 

 ion of a number of plants accordiug to 

 their action in regard to lime. The 

 experiments were condncted by the 

 Rhode Island Experiment Station :— 



Plants benefited by lime. 



Spinach, Pea, 



Lettuce, Peanuts, 



Beets, Tobacco, 



Celery, Sorghum, 



Onions, Lucerne, 



Parsnips, Clover, 



Culiflowers, Birley, 



Cabbage, Wheat, 



Cucumbers, Oats, 



Egg plants, Timothy grass, 



Asparagus, Kentucky blue 

 Rhol Ribi, grass, 



Dandelion, Seed fruits. 

 Swede turnips, Stone fruits, 



Plants indifferent to lime. 

 Corn, Rye, 

 Millet, Potatoes, 

 Hungarian Millet, Carrots, 

 Golden Millet. Red-top grass. 



Plants injured by lime. 

 "Water melon, Blue Lupin, 

 Seiradella, Sheep sorrel. 



From this ib wiil be seen that the 

 bulk of plants are beuefited by the 

 application of lime.— Journal of Agri- 

 culture, W.A., February, 1903, Vol, XVI, 

 Part 2. 



57 



PROGRESS IN LEGUME INOCU- 

 LATION. 



Introduction. 



The peculiar value of legumes for 

 maintaining and increasing the fertility 

 of soils is due to cerbaiu bacteria which 

 develop nodules upon the toots of legu- 

 minous plants, and which have the 

 unique power of rendering the free 

 nitrogen of the atmosphere available for 

 plant growth. Without these bacteria, 

 legumes, like other crops, exhaust the 

 soil of its combined nitrogen. In many 

 regions certain types of these important 

 bacteria are abundant in the soil; in 

 other localities they must be imported, 

 either by distributing soil from a field 

 where they are known to be present, or 

 by using pure cultures of the proper 

 organisms grown under artificial condi- 

 tions. The old method of importing the 

 bacteria by distributing soil from fields 

 containing them is not only expensive, 

 bub there is very great danger of spread- 

 ing weeds and destructive crop diseases 

 as well as the desirable bacteria. Under 

 modern conditions, therefore, it is wisest 

 to depend chiefly upon the intelligent 

 manipulation of pure cultures for inocu- 

 lating leguminous crops. 



The Use of Pure Cultures of Nitro- 

 gen-Gathering Bacteria. 

 Recent improvements in the methods 

 of preparing and distributing pure 

 cultures for inoculating leguminous 

 crops have obviated many of the diffi- 

 culties previou-uy experienced in their 

 use. The directions for handling by 

 the planter have been simplified, and 

 adapratious have been made to meet 

 varyiug conditions of field and plant 

 experiments. The directions accom- 

 panying the cultures distributed under 

 the present plan may be summarized 

 as follows :— 



For cultures that are to be increased 

 by the planter, in one gallon of clean 

 water, boiled and cooled, is dissolved a 

 small quautity of sugar aud the tablet 

 which is supplied with the small bottle 

 of culture. The liquid culture in this 

 smail botble is poured into the gallon of 

 solution aud the mixture is allowed to 

 develop for twenty-four hours at a 

 temperature of about 70° F., aud is then 

 ready for use,* The seed should be 

 thoroughly moistened with this culture, 

 without being soaked, and should then 

 be spread out to dry in a clean, snady 

 place, it is an advantage, though not 

 au absolute necessity, to dry imme- 



* One gallon will treat at least three or four 

 bushels of seed. 



