The RURAL NEW-YORKER 
41 
A Simple Story of Inoculation 
I notice a recent article on Soy beans says: “duly 
inoculated with proper bacteria.” Will you please ex¬ 
plain how, and all about the inoculation? I have had 
bad luck with Soy beans the last two years. T. K. 
Wyoming, Del. 
T HIS question keeps coming up, and so we con¬ 
clude that in spite of all that has been said 
about it, this matter of inoculation is not yet fully 
understood. The pod-bearing plants, that is. those 
which carry their seed in pods, are known as leg¬ 
umes. They include peas, beans, clover, Alfalfa 
and many others. These legumes possess the power 
of taking nitrogen from the air and storing it up in 
stem, leaf, root and seed. This work is done by 
certain bacteria or tiny bodies which live and work 
on the roots of the plants. Unless these bacteria 
are present the plant will not develop fully. On 
pulling up a bean plant well supplied with these 
bacteria you will see little bunches or warts on the 
roots. These are called nodules, and they are the 
houses where the bacteria live and work. These bac¬ 
teria are found naturally in many soils, so that 
when seed is put in and covered these germs or 
bacteria are ready for business, and 
appear on the roots of the plants. 
In many cases, there are none of 
these germs in the soil to start with 
and they must be supplied in some way 
if the plants are to thrive properly. 
Adding a few of them so that they 
may develop and spread through the 
soil is called inoculation. While not ex¬ 
actly the same, it follows the plan of 
using yeast to “raise” bread, or add¬ 
ing some of the buttermilk from one 
churning to “start” the cream for the 
next one, or using the “mother” of 
vinegar to start cider on its way. 
When all these things were first sug¬ 
gested many people laughed at them, 
but when long experience proved them 
useful they were accepted as good 
practices, even though few, if any 
people, understood why and how they 
operated. 
It is much the same with this inocu¬ 
lation for Soy beans and other leg¬ 
umes, only we now have the explana¬ 
tion, and know that we do it to intro¬ 
duce the needed bacteria and give them 
a chance to develop. In some cases 
soil from a field on which the Soy 
beans grew properly is used. When 
we pull up a plant and find the nod¬ 
ules on the roots it is safe to con¬ 
clude that the upper soil can be used 
for inoculation. This soil is scattered 
over the plowed land and harrowed in. 
Sometimes manure made from feeding 
Soy bean hay will help, but the soil, 
as here mentioned, is the best for 
natural inoculation. It is not always 
possible to obtain this soil and so 
scientists have learned how to sepa¬ 
rate these bacteria and distribute them 
somewhat as one would send yeast 
cakes out to customers. While it is 
not exactly a fair illustration, we 
might say that in old times it was nec¬ 
essary to carry live coals or embers from one fire 
in order to kindle another. There are people still 
living who can remember that when the fire went 
out it was often necessary to travel off to the neigh¬ 
bors in order to get a “light,” which meant a burn¬ 
ing brand or a bucket of hot ashes. Then came the 
invention and improvement of matches which en¬ 
abled one to carry the light anywhere and have it 
always on hand. On a somewhat similar plan the 
scientists have cultivated these bacteria in the 
laboratory, and have learned how to pack and ship 
them in bottles so they can be used on the seed. 
Then when the seed is put in the ground these bac¬ 
teria develop and do their work. This, then, is 
what is meant by inoculation. It seems to he par¬ 
ticularly needed on Soy beans, and will often make 
all the difference between a full crop and a poor 
stunted growth. We advise inoculation whenever 
Soy beans are seeded for the first time. 
perior School to be established in Windham Coun- exercises held November 23. There were informal 
ty, and one of the SO throughout the whole State speeches and a general good time. Refreshments 
of •Vermont, the entire number of one-teacher were served. Six neighborhood babies were present, 
schools being about 1,800. future pupils. The school at present has 17 scholars. 
Twice in the past few years our school has had The school is a sample of what may be accomp- 
to be given up for lack of the required five pupils lished by good will and co-operation, 
to keep it going. Plans for the disposal of the eu- Vermont. ethel a. Lyons. 
tire property had also been discussed. Two years In such a case co-operation beats consolidation, 
ago the school was opened for what nearly every- Much the same can be done in many school dis- 
body prophesied would be the last time. There was tricts—in fact it is being done. One fair criticism 
only a handful of scholars, and when, during the of the proposed school bill is that little is suggested 
Summer vacation five of these moved away, it in the way of “doing it ourselves.” The “ticket” 
looked like the “finish for fair.” But enough moved which Mrs. Lyons refers to was a piece of red paper 
into the neighborhood to keep things going, and last cut out in the shape of the end of a schoolhouse, 
June, after a visit from the State Supervisor, one with doors and windows pasted on, and an invitation 
of the school directors, residing in the district, set written at the side, 
plans afoot for a “Superior School!” It seemed an __ 
almost impossible task, for, as the supervisor pointed 
out, it needed nearly everything to make of it a 
standard school, even. 
There has been, to my knowledge, one new coat 
A Bonus for the Hired Man 
Do you know of any practical way of giving the 
man who works by the year on a farm, a small inter¬ 
est in the business, outside of paying good wages, 
of red paint applied since I attended 26 years ago; furnishing a good home, etc. As a rule the men who 
necessary and minor repairs have probably been w'V’lLA 01 ’- vv f v ge - s on a , farn V “ ot , take ke , en enough 
interest m their work, and I thought maybe if they 
were given a small percentage of the 
gross receipts it would prove a benefit to 
them and me too. Can you suggest any¬ 
way to enlighten me on this subject, or 
what you would consider a fair percent¬ 
age for both? Let me hear from you as 
soon as possible, as I want to make ar¬ 
rangements for another year with my 
man. j. h. «•. 
New Jersey. 
UR experience is that much de- 
o 
pends on the personality of the 
man. Some men surely appreciate the 
plan of giving them a small interest 
in the proceeds while others do not 
seem to care. We have known some 
men who really did less work when 
given a bonus of this sort. They 
seemed to think it was evidence of 
fear on the part of the boss—fear that 
they might leave him. There are some 
hired men who always think the boss 
is trying to take advantage of them in 
some way. They do not seem capable 
of understanding that the farmer may 
really want to help them. Most hired 
men are wise and • sensible enough to 
appreciate fair treatment, and a per¬ 
centage of receipts will stimulate them 
to do a little more. We have for some 
years followed the plan of paying a 
fair salary or wages and giving in ad¬ 
dition 5 per cent of gross annual sales. 
We think this has worked well in our 
own case. We should like to have this 
matter discussed by readers with ac¬ 
tual experience if possible. 
Making Much of the Little Red School 
House 
A FEW weeks ago the “Brevities Man” wrote, 
“We hear a lot about the ‘little red school- 
house,’ but who ever sees one?” or words to that 
effect, so I felt that I must tell him about ours. 
We are very proud of it too. It is the first Su- 
Dr. A. S. Alexander of Wisconsin 
An eminent authority on veterinary science and practice; regular contributor to the 
live stock columns of The Rural New-Yorker. 
made, and last year the pupils sold candy to pay 
for a new hardwood floor. Water was always 
brought from a spring in an adjoining pasture. As 
it stood the building possessed 68 points for the re¬ 
quirements of a standard school. 
A canvass of the district was made and much 
cash, and labor, which amounted to the same, was 
cheerfully given. The above mentioned spring and 
a plot for the playground were donated. Now we 
have a modern heating and ventilating system, 
flush toilets and a “bubbler,” to say nothing of the 
new kitchenette, blackboards, and last but not least, 
plenty of windows, properly placed. Of course, 
new and up-to-date desks replace the old ones. 
Those we have now can be adjusted to fit the pupil. 
The interior of the building is painted a light at¬ 
tractive yellow, “sunshine color,” and the outside 
has received a brand-new coat of red. Please tell 
the “Brevity Man.” 
The entire cost of remodeling was $1,200. It has 
not all been paid, but the children of the district 
are earning on an average of $10 a Aveek from 
candy sales. They are also selling pencils for funds 
to purchase a basketball. For the Christmas trade 
they made pots of Narcissus bulbs to sell. These 
were furnished at cost by a local nurseryman. 
I am inclosing a. sample invitation, like those 
made and sent out by the pupils, for the dedication 
Grafting on the Southern 
“Fox Grape” 
I should like information as to re¬ 
sistant varieties of bunch grapes that 
the root louse does not seriously injure. 
Our native muscadine and shuppernong 
are immune, so is a jointed cane grape 
known as “fox grape,” which bears 
very large bunches of small and intensely 
acid fruit. I should like to know how 
the good bunch grape may be grafted on 
the native fox grape (probably different 
from your fox grape) so as to give it a 
louse-proof stock, for the average European grape here 
is short-lived on its own roots, but does well while it 
lives and does produce. 
One reason I wish the information is, I have just 
sold a tract of country land to put out a vineyard of 
native grapes, and would like to enable buyer to handle 
the bunch kind also. This man came to me and asked 
me to get him a good location suitable for a vineyard 
at a fair price. I told him to give me a little time'and 
I would fix him up. I got him a tract adjoining a 
piece that 40 years ago was a fine vineyard, and on a 
main road not far -from town. Naturally I want him to 
make a success, as he banked on my advice, and if I 
can overcome the root trouble by grafting, I can es¬ 
tablish another line of industry in this section. 
Mobile, Ala. m. a. p. 
ONGENIAL VARIETIES REQUIRED.—It is 
not known here in the North just how resist¬ 
ant the so-called fox grape *of the South is to 
phylloxera or root louse. Nor can Ave say anything 
of the affinity and congeniality of the desired Vini- 
fera varieties for these fox grapes. A stock to be 
successfully used for the carrying of other varieties 
must first and foremost be readily propagated from 
cuttings; second, it must be resistant to phylloxera, 
and third, it must readily unite with the scion, or as 
it is usually put, it must be congenial. Varieties 
differ greatly in this respect. Unless the desired 
European varieties have been tested on various 
stocks it becomes largely a matter of cut and try. 
The French and Californians have done much in 
this direction, and seA r eral bulletins have been pub- 
