[June, 1909. 



appears to have been attended with good 

 results. 



We have recently received a bulletin 

 from the Ontario Department of Agri- 

 culture in which successful experiments 

 of this kind are described. Special cul- 

 tures prepared by the bacteriologists 

 of the department are now being dis- 

 tributed to the Canadian farmers. 



The directions for use sent out with 

 the cultures are sufficiently instructive 

 to be worthy of quotation. They are 

 as follows :— 



"Directions for Inoculating Seed 

 with Nitrogen-Gathering 

 Bacteria. 



Each legume requires a different cul- 

 ture. 



This bottle contains sufficient bacteria 



for inoculating sixty pounds of 



seed- 

 All the culture may be used on less 



seed without harm. 

 The culture is good for the season of 



19 ... . 



This culture is sent you with the 

 understanding that you will use it as 

 directed and report to us the result of 

 your experiment. Follow directions 

 carefully, or failure may result- 



1. Cover the seed with water and let 

 it soak for two hours. 



2. Drain off the water. This may be 

 done by heaping the seed on a cloth on 

 the ground, or Nos. 1 and 2 may be done 

 in a grain bag. 



3. Mix one pound of dry granulated 

 sugar with each bushel of wet seed, and 

 let the seed stand thus over night. 



4. Next day pour a little clean cold 

 water into the bottle of culture, shake 

 until the jelly is well broken up, pour it 

 over the seed and mix thoroughly. 



5. Plant at once, just as you would 

 uninoculated seed, If the seed is too 

 wet and sticks together, spread it in a 

 shady place for about ten minutes. It 

 should be neither wet nor dry, but as 

 moist as it can be handled. In case of 

 a mixture of clover with other seed, it is 

 advisable to treat the clover separately, 

 mixing just before sowing. 



6. Do not open the bottle until you 

 are ready to treat the seed, and do not 

 treat more seed at one time than can be 

 sown in a day. 



7. At least a small plot should be 

 planted with untreated seed for com- 

 parison, and this should be planted first. 



8. Send us in the empty bottle with 

 your name and address, a small sample 

 of the inoculated seed for further labora- 

 tory tests. 



9. After the seedlings are one month 

 old, search for nodules, ' little bunches ' 

 on the roots. Examine for nodules, 

 again after three months. During the 

 season note number and size of nodules 

 and vigour of plant growth from treated 

 and untreated seed. " 



We have at present no data for decid- 

 ing Whether similar cultures would 

 prove of benefit in Ceylon, It is just 

 possible that by their aid particular 

 species of leguminous plants might 

 be induced to make good growth in 

 districts where they do not flourish at 

 present. 



One of the greatest difficulties in 

 establishing herbaceous legumiuous 

 plants in old and worn-out tea estates is 

 occasioned— at least in part— by the 

 absence of the necessary bacteria in 

 what is practically subsoil, now that 

 the original soil has been largely washed 

 away. If suitable cultures can be made 

 and applied at a reasonable cost, so as 

 practically to insure success at the first 

 planting of the leguminous species, a 

 great saving of money and time will be 

 effected in carrying out one of the most 

 impoitant measures available for the 

 improvement of a worn-out estate. 



Whatever may be the value of nitro- 

 bacterine and other similar prepara- 

 tions in promoting the growth of legum- 

 inous plants, there can be no question 

 as to the value of the leguminous plants 

 themselves when returned to the soil in 

 the form of green manure. In the case 

 of tea cultivation the value of green 

 manuring has been amply demonstrated 

 on the Peradeniya Experiment Station 

 and elsewhere. It is not possible to 

 name any particular plant as being the 

 best for this purpose — in different locali- 

 ties different varieties flourish best, and 

 Dadaps, Albizzias and Acacia decurrens 

 are all good in districts suited to their 

 growth. On the whole we are inclined 

 to recommend most strongly the her- 

 baceous species, for instance, Crotalaria, 

 or even still smaller forms such as 

 Desmodium. Such plants not only 

 provide organic material which may be 

 returned to the soil, but they also 

 effectually prevent the washing away of 

 the valuable surface soil during the 

 period of their growth. It is very 

 possible that creeping leguminous plants 

 may be found of value in rubber clear- 

 ings, since they may be expected to 

 combine the functions of accumulating 

 nitrogen with that of preventing the 

 growth of weeds, but upon this point we 

 have as yet very little data available. 



Numerous varieties of herbaceous 

 leguminous plants are being collected 

 from all parts of Ceylon, as well as from 



