. Bulletin. 1901-13. Agriculture; Agriculture. 8 CONDITIONS AFFECTING LEGUME INOCULATION. to counteract the influence of substances in the soil unfavorable to the growth of the bacteria.^ EFFECT OF SOIL CONDITIONS UPON BACTERIA. The constitution or character of the soil solution has great effect upon the growth of nodule bacteria as well as upon the formation of nodules. In the large number of soil samples tested simultaneously in the green- house and in the laboratorj^ it seems to hold true generally that the possibilit}' or impossibility of securing effective inoculation on a par- ticular cr
. Bulletin. 1901-13. Agriculture; Agriculture. 8 CONDITIONS AFFECTING LEGUME INOCULATION. to counteract the influence of substances in the soil unfavorable to the growth of the bacteria.^ EFFECT OF SOIL CONDITIONS UPON BACTERIA. The constitution or character of the soil solution has great effect upon the growth of nodule bacteria as well as upon the formation of nodules. In the large number of soil samples tested simultaneously in the green- house and in the laboratorj^ it seems to hold true generally that the possibilit}' or impossibility of securing effective inoculation on a par- ticular crop in a certain soil can })c predicted bv the relative growth of the specific culture in the sterile extract of the soil in question. There also seems to be a somewhat close relation between the soil solution necessar}^ for the growth of host and bacteria, so that in many cases, at least, it is possible to determine the suitabilit}^ of a legume crop to a certain soil b}^ the growth of the specific culture of Pi<eudo- mona^ radicicola in the extract of the soil. The probability of an extract not trul}^ representing the soil solution and the disturbing factor of sterilizing certain extracts will in some cases introduce error in interpreting results. The use of sterilized soil extracts as culture media for the ])acteria has been found to give fairly true indications of the growth of the respective hosts of these bacteria in a consider- able series alread}' tested, however, and contemplated improvements in technique will doubtless increase the probability of securing trust- worth}^ indications. The testing of the soil extract in its behavior toward specific bacteria may even indicate that some treatment is necessar}^ but can not prescribe the method of amelioration, and for the present direct experimentation is necessary to determine the proper treatment of an unsuitable soil. As an example of the relation between the growth of the specific bacteria in the sterile soil extract a
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