H. G. Hastings Co., Seedsmen, Atlanta, Georgia. 
17 
INOCULATE THE SEED 
Help Your Crops Grow the Highest Priced Plant Food 
That may be a new way of patting it, but it’s pretty close to facts. The most costly 
element of commercial fertilizers is nitrogen and is usually estimated as being worth 
about 17 cents per pound. Practically all of our soils are short of nitrogen. 
All the clovers, cowpeas, vetch, peas, beans, alfalfa, and some other leguminous 
plants, have the power to draw plenty of nitrogen from the air—if there are present 
what are called the nitrogen-gathering bacteria in the soil to attach themselves to the 
roots. These bacteria on the roots of this class of plants are necessary to enable the 
plant to do full work in nitrogen gathering. If they are not present the crop will be 
more or less a failure. Plenty of bacteria on the roots means rank growing crops, 
their absence means sickly looking plants. Where successful crops of any of these 
plants mentioned have been grown before, there are bacteria in the soil for them, but 
on new ground or where these crops have not been grown, the bacteria must be sup¬ 
plied before success can come. 
These bacteria are now obtainable in commercial form and are very easily handled 
effectively by any one following the simple directions found on the bottles or packages. 
All you have to do is to add a small quantity of water, then moisten the seed and your 
soil then becomes thoroughly inoculated at seed sowing time. It’s the easiest, quick¬ 
est, cheapest way to improve soil. 
This inoculation is not for direct use on crops like corn, cotton, oats, sorghum, mil¬ 
let, etc. When used on all kinds of clovers, cowpeas, soja beans, these crops accumu¬ 
late a great store of nitrogen on the roots. These decay after a leguminous crop is 
cut off and the nitrogen is available in the soil for succeeding crops of cotton, corn or 
grain, etc. In effect, it helps make your soil richer for succeeding crops, as well as 
making far better clover, alfalfa, vetches, cowpeas, soja beans or peanuts. 
Personally we have been watching very closely this matter of inoculation of the 
various leguminous crops ever since the attempt was made to put the bacteria in some 
form for safe distribution over twenty years ago in Germany. Various methods were 
tried in this country, both by the United States Department of Agriculture and vari¬ 
ous firms and chemists. None of these methods proved satisfactory, and it was only 
by recent discoveries that a safe and sure way of distributing these nitrogen-gather¬ 
ing bacteria was made possible. We have been furnishing these bacteria to our 
customers for the past seven years, and there has not been a case reported to us 
where it has failed to give satisfaction when properly used. In these preparations of bacteria under the various names the bacteria can 
be kept in perfect condition and vigor and sent to you by mail for use on your crops. 
These Nodules Gave 200% Increase in Yield 
Makes Better Crops, Saves Fertilizer Cost 
Making better crops at less cost for fertilizer ought to be the aim and object of every farmer aud gardener. Inoculation will help do 
both. Remember, however, that these bacteria only act directly on what are known as leguminous crops; this includes all kinds ,of clo¬ 
ver, beans, peas, alfalfa, vetches and peanuts. On these the bacteria can be applied with direct benefit—that is, it will make a great deal 
larger crops per acre than you would otherwise get. 
Our illustration above shows how these bacteria act on the roots of leguminous plants such as we just mentioned. The knobs or “nod¬ 
ules,” as they are termed, are little storehouses of nitrogen, that most costly element of plant food that these bacteria have gathered from 
the air. Some of this goes to feed the plant while growing, but the larger part remains stored in the roots. After the clover, peas, etc., 
have been harvested these roots decay, leaving in the soil a store of nitrogen for succeeding crops. A good crop of any leguminous plant 
growing in soil deficient in nitrogen will, if the seed be inoculated, add to that soil available nitrogen equal to that found in 700 to 1,000 
pounds of nitrate of soda, worth anywhere from $25.00 to $30.00. What’s more is that the nitrates added by a leguminous crop stay in 
the soil much better than when applied in the form of nitrate of soda. 
The use of these bacteria on any leguminous crop means 50% to 100% more of that particular crop per acre, and it means a store of the 
highest priced element of plant food in your soil for succeeding crops. Isn’t that worth while to you? It certainly is to us and these in¬ 
oculating materials are used extensively on the Hastings Farm every year. 
SPECIAL BOOKLETS FREE 
If you want to know more about the inoculation of seed of leguminous plants send for 
free booklet telling all about it. 
mb M ■■ >■ in E* m This was the first successful preparation of nitrogen-gathering bacteria ever put out and we have 
!■ £k Bv HV| — |W| sold it to our customers for several years with entire satisfaction. Farm-O-Germ is prepared by 
■ ti, e Earp-Thomas Co. of New Jersey, who are exclusive in their preparation of these bacteria. 
The Earp-Thomas Co. operate under a number of patents, including a special bottle, that through an air tube keeps the bacteria more ac¬ 
tive and longer-lived. While a little higher in price than other preparations, the entirely satisfactory results covering a period of many 
years certainly justifies full credit being given to their claims for superiority. Their reputation for thoroughly reliable inoculating mate¬ 
rial is a firmly established one. , „ 
We have Farm-O-Gemn for Alfalfa, Red Clover, White Clover, Crimson Clover, Alsike, Garden Peas, Garden Beans, Cowpeas, Velvet 
Beans, Soja Beans, Vetches and Peanuts. When ordering be sure and specify what kind of a crop you want to use it on, for each crop re¬ 
quires a different bacteria. , ,,, „„„„„„ ... , _ . 
PRICE, per one-aere bottle, $2.00; 5-acre bottle, $6.00; 50-acre bottle, $55.00; 100-acre bottle, $100.00, delivered. Garden size for peas or 
beans, 50 cents, postpaid. 
& | B V JB f \ B si Another commercial form of the nitrogen-gathering bacteria that is guaranteed as to strength and purity by 
|%l | I If ai-1 the Armour Fertilizer Works of Chicago. “Nitragin” conies in a distinct form in cans for which the claim is 
■ ^ made of superior keeping qualities. Used on more than one million acres last year. Seed can be ready for 
planting within 10 minutes of opening up the can. . _ _ . , ,, , , 
Nitragin for Alfalfa, Red Clover, Crimson Clover, W’hite Clover, Alsike, Vetch, Cowpeas, Soja Beans and Garden Peas and Beans. In 
ordering specify crop you want it for. 
PRICE, garden size, $1.00; 1-acre size, $2.00; 5-acre size, $0.00. 
ApMBI This is a preparation of the nitrogen-gathering bacteria put out by the It. K. iWulford Company of 
Il f Iwl Philadelphia, a concern with a world-wide reputation for good preparations. This nitrogen prepara- 
tlon is sent out in sealed bottles which are not ventilated or the bacteria given air. Personally we do 
not like to pass an opinion as to the relative merits of any of these three forms of nitrogen-gathering bacteria beyond saying that in the 
past they have all been sold with apparent satisfaction to buyers and users. „ 
We have Nitro-Germ for the inoculation of Alfalfa, Red Clover, White Clover, Crimson ( lover, Alsike, Garden 1 eas, Garden Beans, Cow¬ 
peas, Velvet Beans, Soja Beans, Vetches and Peanuts. When ordering be sure and specify what kind ot a crop you want to use it on for 
each crop requires a different bacteria. 
PRICE, per one-acre bottle, $1.50; 5-acre bottle, $5.00; Garden or %-acre size for any of the above named crops, 50 cents, postpaid. 
