ENRICHING THE SOIL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 40, 16 February 1905, Page 3

ENRICHING THE SOIL.

jSTLTROGEN-FIXING BACTERIA.

(By Telegraph,—Own Correspondent.)

WELLINGTON, this day.

It was cabled last week that West Australia was obtaining for experimental purposes a supply of Dr. Moore's ni-trogen-fixing bacteria, which restores to the soil the nitrogenous properties extracted by crops. As long ago as May of last year (says the "Post") Mr T. W. Kirk, Government Biologist for this colony, wrote to Professor Galloway, chief of the Division of Vegetable Pathology in the Department of Agriculture at Washington, asking for some of the bacteria. The letter was referred to Dr. Moore, Physiologist and Algc-lo-gist of the Department, who sent a supply which reached Mr Kirk in August last. Cultures were prepared and experiments set in hand at the experimental station at Levin, and the Government farm near Hamilton. The experiments affected, vetches, clover, beans and peas. Three plots of each were sown. In one plot inoculated seed was used, in the second the ground was inoculatd, and the third was untreated. The experiment so far has been a success, but it is not yet completed. Mr Kirk explains that the bacteria cannot be used for all lands and all crops. It must be understood that the bacteria is beneficial only when applied to leguminous crops, the action of the bacteria enabling the storing of atmospheric nitrogen in the nodule 9on the roots. Thus the ground is enriched by nitrogen and succeeding crops will reap the benefit. It must also be understood that where the nodules are very profuse the application of the culture would be a waste, as the land is already rich in nitrogen. As soon as the resulte of the experiments are ascertained, and if they are as good as is anticipated, the Department will arrange to distribute cultures to farmers who require them. The bacteria are nothing like Mr H. G. Wells' "Pood of the Gods" in their results, and will not produce abnormal and amazing growths, but they will quite revolutionise impovished land that ia lacking in nitrogen.