496 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXVIII, No. 5 
ECONOMIC ASPECT 
Observations made on legume inoculation experiments in different parts of the 
United States over a period of 20 years have shown that only in extremely rare 
cases has the effect of legume bacteria cultures been apparently detrimental to 
the crop. The intent of this paper is not to emphasize an imminent danger but 
to record the possibilities which may under certain circumstances be expected 
to arise. 
Recalling that the estimated loss from wilt at Redfield in 1920 was 90 per 
cent; in 1921, 25 per cent; in 1922, 30 per cent; in 1923, 12 per cent; and of the 
crop that the average loss from all places where the bean experiments were 
harvested in 1923 was approximately 11 per cent, that the Plant Disease Survey 
Bulletin of the United States Department of Agriculture gives for the loss to the 
total crop from blight for three years starting with 1920, as 1.5 per cent, 9.8 per 
cent, and 4.9 per cent, respectively, and that Muncie estimates that 30 per cent 
of the bean pickage is infected with the blight, the possibilities for damage become 
apparent. It seems reasonable to assume that the same general effect that has 
been produced by bean wilt in the work under discussion may also occur with 
other seed borne diseases. 
The data obtained from the clean seed in 1922 and from clean Robust beans 
in 1923 indicates rather clearly the value of such seed for planting and the cor¬ 
rectness of the common recommendations for its use. 
SUMMARY 
A general tendency toward reduced crops of navy beans, due to applications 
of moisture to seed presumably harboring Bad. fiaccumjaciens , prior to planting, 
is indicated by the harvests from the various places of experiment. 
Dry soil as inoculating material will obviate the necessity for moistening the 
seed for the purpose of introducing Bacillus radicicola and clean seed will tend to 
cut down losses even when moisture is applied. 
LITERATURE CITED 
(1) Braun, H. 
1920. PRESOAK METHOD OF SEED TREATMENT: A MEANS OF PREVENT¬ 
ING SEED INJURY DUE TO CHEMICAL DISINFECTANTS AND OF IN¬ 
CREASING germicidal efficiency. Jour. Agr. Research 19: 363-392, 
illus. 
(2) Chen, C. C. 
1920. INTERNAL FUNGOUS PARASITES OF AGRICULTURAL SEEDS. Md. 
Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 240, p. 81-110, illus. 
(3) Edgerton, C. W., and Moreland, C. C. 
1913. THE BEAN BLIGHT AND PRESERVATION AND TREATMENT OF 
bean seed. La. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 139, 43 p., illus. 
(4) Halsted, B. D. 
1901. BEAN DISEASES AND THEIR REMEDIES. N. J. Agr. Exp. Sta. 
Bul. 151, 28 p., illus. 
(5) Hedges, F. 
1922. A BACTERIAL WILT OF THE BEAN CAUSED BY BACTERIUM FLAC- 
cumfaciens nov. sp. Science 55: 433-434. 
( 6 ) -- 
1924. BEAN WILT (bacterium flaccumfaciens hedges). further 
studies. (Abstract.) Phytopathology 14: 27. 
