SECURING A STAND OF CLOVER ON THE SOUTHERN 
IOWA LOESS. 
BY E. B. WATSON. 
At the Sub-station at Leon, Decatur County, conducted by the 
Soil Section of the Iowa Experiment Station, clover was sown on 
the series of oat plots in the spring of 1905, some of the plots being 
treated with stable manure. It was noted during the season that 
the manured plots had the best stand, and much the best growth of 
clover. This is not a new discovery, but the cause seems to be a 
matter of speculation and conjecture. Clover is an important crop 
in Iowa, and is especially needed in that part of the State to supply 
lost humus and restore productiveness. Furthermore, it is often 
very difficult to get a good stand there especially on the points and 
clay hillsides. 
In view of these facts it was decided to make a thorough study 
of the influences governing the germination and early growth of 
clover on the soil found there, including the action of manure on 
the clover. 
The following is the report of the bacteriological work under- 
taken in connection with this study : 
THE BACTERIOLOGICAL QUESTION. 
A recent editorial in Wallaces’ Farmer headed “What Barnyard ' 
Manure Does for the Soil” has the following statement: “The 
main value of manure does not lie in what is known as its fertilizing 
elements. What else does manure do to the soil? First, it inocu- 
lates the soil with bacteria, and soil that is full of bacteria is a soil 
in good physical condition — a productive soil.” This very well 
expresses the general belief in regard to the bacteria brought by the 
manure. Bacterial life is very active and abundant in the manure, 
and it is but natural to suppose that these bacteria when added to 
the soil have a great deal to do with its added fertility. When this 
work was first started, it seemed altogether likely that an investi- 
gation of the causes of the benefit derived from barnyard manure, 
would lead into a bacteriological study. 
In the first series run, pots treated with sterilized manure were 
run along with the regular manured pots. The manure was ster- 
ilized by heating in the autoclave for thirty minutes at 120°C. 
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