134 
SEED TRADE BUYERS GUIDE 
these manufacturers make every effort 
possible to aid seedsmen in promoting 
the sale of legume inoculants. 
Seeds That Need Inoculating 
The following seeds require inoculation 
in order to assure a perfect stand: Red 
clover, alfalfa, sweet clover, alsike clover, 
white clover, crimson clover, bur clover, 
yellow trefoil, lespedeza, garden peas, field 
peas, lentil, vetches, sweet peas, cowpeas, 
soybeans, garden beans, field beans, lima 
beans, velvet beans, peanuts, beggarweed, 
lupines, sainfoin and other legumes. 
Value of a Culture 
Dr. E. B. Fred of the Wisconsin Agri¬ 
cultural Experiment Station says that the 
value of a culture seems to depend in a 
large measure on at least five factors: 
1— Upon the organism. It is essential 
that the culture of bacteria contain the 
proper organism to form nodules on the 
desired host plant. In general, it is de¬ 
sirable to have only the one type of or¬ 
ganism in the culture. 
2— Upon the efficiency of the strain. 
Select an active strain of the desired or¬ 
ganism. Because of the variation between 
strains in relation to effectiveness, every 
effort should be made to select strains of 
the bacteria which are known to be of de¬ 
cided benefit to the host plant, and to 
keep these tested cultures under condi¬ 
tions which will maintain the organisms 
in an active state. 
3— Upon the number of bacteria. Just 
how many bacteria are required in order 
to produce the maximum number of ef¬ 
fective nodules is not known. In general 
an abundance of the bacteria, probably 
several thousand per seed, produces the 
best results. 
4— Upon age of culture. Old cultures 
may be low in total number of viable 
cells and those which are alive are pre¬ 
sumably in a weakened condition. Nat¬ 
urally a biological product such as a cul¬ 
ture of bacteria decreases rapidly in num¬ 
ber of vegetative cells with an increase in 
age. To secure the best result use only 
young active cultures. 
5— Upon culture medium. The sub¬ 
strate on which the organisms are grown 
exerts a profound influence on the num¬ 
ber and efficiency of the cells. The au¬ 
thors prefer a medium low in available 
nitrogen and with a neutralizing agent, 
such as calcium carbonate, present. 
INOCULATION OF LEGUMES 
Backed by 
Staff of Specially Trained Scientists 
Modern Scientific Laboratory 
Controlled Greenhouse Tests, Extensive Field Experiments 
Reliable Organization and Sound Policies 
Offers Large Profit for Small Investment 
THE URBANA LABORATORIES, urbana, Illinois 
Let SEED WORLD Service Bureau help you. 
No charge. Just write us and we will do the rest. 
SEED WORLD, 325 W. Huron St., Chicago 
Directory Section Index—Page 4 
