SOIL BACTERIA ACTIVITY.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXVII, Issue 94, 20 December 1913, Page 4

SOIL BACTERIA ACTIVITY.

The European agricultural scientists continue to devote attention to the influence of bacteria in the soil, with, the object of discovering the causes of greater or less activity, and the j most effective way of encouraging these organisms to work for the benefit of the crops. Well-cultivated soil, with a fine tilth, possesses greater bacterial activity than a soil full of clods. A well-aerated soil containing organic 1 substances encourages the developmeiTt of beneficial bacterial activity. The application of sulphate of ammonia, sulphate of magnesia, and superphosphate appears to be helpful to bacteria, and especially in thi> the case with ammonia salts. A sufficient amount of moisture in the soil, combined with aeration and organic substances.’ is the* inobt favorable condition. The lower layers? of Hie soil do not favor the existence of bacteria. In this V'espe'dt*, deeji stirring of tlie subsoil' 1 without bringing it' to the -surface is advantageous, by permitting air to percolate, downward. The presence of lice, rendering thO 'soil ailkaliflb, m beneficial, indeed essential. The most favorable conditions for bacteria are simply those which all intelligent farmers • try to obtain, viz., good tilth, deep’ stirring, admitting Air, organic' pialter, ‘ and sufficient lime.