October, 1909.] 



333 



Scientific Agriculture. 



they have been propagated, are evi- 

 dently, therefore, matters of consider- 

 able importance, 



Future researches may result in the 

 production of improved cultures of high 

 nitrogen-fixing power, the bacteria of 

 which are capable of maintaining them- 

 selves in the soil against the kindred 

 organisms already present there ; but, 

 as pointed out by Mr. A. D. Hall, in the 

 latest edition of his book ' The Soil,' it 

 must be borne in mind that even if such 

 improved races of the nodule-forming 

 bacteria can be introduced to the plant, 

 the improvement tbey can produce in 

 the crop yield is likely to be something 

 of the order of a 10-per cent, increase, a 

 gain which is only really perceptible 

 after careful and continued experiments, 

 and one not to be detected by the eye of 

 the ordinary farmer or planter. This 

 appears to be the most that can be ex- 

 pected from soil inoculation, on most 

 farm and estate lands that have been 

 long under cultivation. 



As indicated, however, there is no 

 doubt that, under certain circumstances, 

 inoculation forms a valuable addition to 

 the means possessed by the agriculturist 

 of adding to the fertility of the land, 

 and the conditions which indicate that 

 the process is likely to be attended with 

 distinct advantage, have already been 

 indicated. When land has been recently 

 reclaimed from the heath or bog state, 

 it usually happens that none of the 

 Pseudomonas organisms are present. 

 Liming is required in such cases, and on 

 such lands it will be found that the 

 effects of inoculation on the growth of 

 a leguminous crop are of a very different 

 order from those brought about on 

 ordinary cultivated lands. It is quite 

 usual to observe that the introduction 

 of the appropriate organisms into the 

 soil will change a stunted, sickly looking 

 growth into a vigorous and profitable 

 crop. The extension of the cultivation 

 of a legume crop, such as alfalfa, cow- 

 peas, etc. into a new district, forms 

 another occasion when inoculation has 

 been found to be valuable, and even 

 necessary. 



In this connection, since it is a practical 

 instance in point, it is worth while to 



refer to the useful work that has been 

 done in reclaiming and making fit for 

 cultivation large tracts of barren, sandy 

 land in Bast Prussia. The scheme for 

 this work was devised and carried out 

 by Dr. Schultz, of Lupitz, and the 

 agency employed by him to reclaim the 

 land consisted of growing lupins and 

 ploughiug in the green crop. Mineral 

 manures, chiefly basic slag and kainit, 

 were applied to the soil. The lupins 

 store up nitrogen from the air, and thus 

 there is gradually built up a store of 

 humus which is not only a source of plant 

 food, but is also of great importance 

 from the physical point of view, in 

 binding together the loose sand and 

 making it retentive of moisture. On 

 these waste lands, which in many cases 

 had not carried any leguminous vegeta- 

 tion whatever, soil inoculation has 

 proved a most valuable aid, and the 

 process was indeed necessary to the 

 success of Dr. Schultz's scheme. The 

 increase in fertility of the land is indi- 

 cated by the fact that the soil of a field 

 growing lupins every year from 1865 was, 

 in 1880, found to contain 0'987 per cent, 

 of nitrogen in the surface 8 inches, as 

 compared with 0027 in an adjoining 

 pasture. As the result of the continu- 

 ance of the scheme mentioned for eleven 

 more years, the proportion of nitrogen 

 had, by 1891, increased to 0177 per cent,, 

 despite the annual removal of the lupin 

 crop, and the fact that the manuring 

 had, been with phosphates and potash 

 only. 



In regard to present views on methods 

 of soil inoculation, the failure which so 

 frequently attended the use of pure 

 cultures in the past has caused their 

 employment to be regarded with a cer- 

 tain amount of distrust, and in Europe 

 and America the tendency among agri- 

 culturists has of late been to place more 

 reliance on the original if somewhat 

 cumbersome legume earth method. 

 There is yet a good deal to be learned in 

 regard to this matter, and the subject 

 is under investigation in a number of 

 laboratories. It is possible that in the 

 future a practical and satisfactory 

 method of inoculation by means of pure 

 cultures may be evolved. 



COOKERY, 



HONEY Vh'RSVii CANE SUGAR. 



By Mrs. B. R. Winslow. 



(From the Gleanings in Bee Culture, 

 Vol, XXXVII., No, 14.) 



A child's craving for sweets of some 

 kind shows a real need of the system in 



that direction ; but, unfortunately, the 

 sweets at hand and usually given to 

 supply this need are not wholesome, and 

 serve no better purpose than to please 

 the child's taste. In fact, the work of 

 changing the cane sugar into grape 

 sugar so that it may be assimilated is 

 often too great a tax upon the child's 

 stomach, and sickness results. This, 



