President Stokes-Are there any other suggestions along this line?

Mr. Wood (Louisville)-Have you ever tried tobacco dust?

Mr. Robinson-I have not, but have prepared myself for such a trial in case I have opportunity. It was recommended a small amount of kerosene be used with it.

Mr. Emerson-I have tried every kind of remedy I ever heard of, or read of, or thought of, for the aphis and squash bug. I have a tank on wheels, and have five pipes extending from that with an arrangement to get under the leaves. We had a kerosene emulsion, and where that would strike the leaves--we had a pump connected with this tank to force the emulsion-the aphis would disappear and die almost instantly, but there were so many leaves, one reaching partly over another, you could hardly apply the emulsion so it would be effective. We had to give it up. We have tried tobacco dust and everything advertised in the "American Florist" and the "Florist's Exchange." I could not make slug shot work. Mr. Robinson says that is successful as far as it can be applied.

I have discovered through accident something that might be used as a remedy for the squash bug, and tried it on the aphis, but it couldn't be applied-and that is a mixture of soda ash and resin, boiled in proper proportions and made in the form of an emulsion. If used right after being manufactured it is effective with the large squash bug. The resin makes a sticky substance-not a liquid. The water that is used in making the emulsion of course makes it a sticky liquid, which appears to cover the insect so as to prevent its breathing. I have tried it and shown it to several people who have visited us, and it is plain to be seen that the minute that spray touches the squash bug he drops from the vine, falls on his back and dies. We have saved several crops with that, and if there is any one here who wishes to get the formula it can be had from the Department of Agriculture; also from the State University at Lincoln, Neb. I do not remember it, and cannot give it to you today. The squash bug can be killed and removed. My experience with the aphis is that it is entirely an insect

after showers. When the sun comes out warm, damp and warm, this aphis seem to flourish, and although we have the lady bugs, which eat them as fast as they can, although we have ants by the millions, which eat and capture them and take them to their houses in the ground, although all these parasites are always at hand, the aphis, under favorable climatic conditions will continue to live in Nebraska, New Jersey or anywhere else. It is impossible to apply a remedy on the under side of the leaves that will remove them. I have tried bisulphate of carbon, and it didn't have any effect at all. Cyanide is all right to make it in the form of a gas, but who can think of taking two or three or five thousand acres and making tents for them. I think the only thing we can look forward to is the usual change in the climate. We haven't had but two years when they were really bad.

President Stokes-From reports it looks as if we were going to get two dollars a pound for cucumber seed another year. Some of us on the porch upstairs had a very interesting conversation on the inoculation of the soil, and I think there is excellent food in such a topic for a lively discussion. Is Mr. H. W. Wood present? We would be glad to have you introduce the subject at this time.

Mr. H. W. Wood-There has been considerable discussion recently in regard to the inoculation of the soil. I had a conversation with several members present, and Mr. Stokes thought it would be a good plan to bring the matter before the meeting, with a view of eliciting the experiences of other members. What brought it home to me was a letter we recently received from one of our western customers. He asked whether we could furnish him with two hundred pounds of soil from ground where cow peas had been grown. He had moved from Illinois to Iowa, and he could not find any one in that section who had grown cow peas. His experience was that to grow cow peas it required inoculated soil, or they should be grown two or three successive seasons on the same soil to produce the best results. In other crops, like vetches, alfalfa or similar crops, we have long had different letters-the experiences of customers-stating they could not get the best

results the first year, but after they grew these crops for two or three years on the same ground they got better results. My own experience is in Virginia. Alfalfa cannot be grown successfully in Virginia unless the land is inoculated or they use inoculated soil in order to produce a satisfactory crop at first, but after they get the soil inoculated they can grow alfalfa successfully and get first rate crops.

I believe the experiment stations of Alabama have undertaken experiments in this respect, and I think Mr. McVay, of Birmingham, is pretty well posted in this regard. It is a question which I think is well worthy discussion.

The Department of Agriculture at Washington has been making experiments for two or three years with a view to getting inoculation in a concentrated form, furnishing it in small bottles so it can be diluted with water and sprinkled on the land, and so furnish inoculation for different crops.

A great many times crops are grown and do not bring satisfactory results. The parties think, "That is not the crop for me; it doesn't suit this section." Whereas it may be something lacking in the soil.

When in Washington two years ago, at the Department they showed me a photograph of a field of vetch, half inoculated and half not inoculated. There was a most marked difference. The part inoculated, I judge, showed three times the crop that the part not inoculated did. They also had some other experiments of cow peas and alfalfa, and possibly one or two other crops, where they grew them in pots, taking sterilized soil originally and inoculating one and not the other, and there was a most marked difference in the growth of these particular plants. The way it looks to me, this is a most important question for us to study up. Quite frequently the cause of failure of certain crops in certain localities may be due to lack of proper germs and inoculated soil instead of the crops not being suited to that particular soil or section.

Mr. McVay I haven't anything especially new to say, except to bear out what Mr. Wood has said, but it might be well to give the Association some conclusions our experiment stations in Alabama have reached this year, after repeated ex

periments in the line of soil inoculation. We have had one of our young men from the store down at Auburn all the year keeping track of these experiments being conducted in the way of inoculating the soil, and they have proven that forage plants of the same type have the property of inoculating soils for the same type. In other words, it may be illustrated in this way. In a great many sections in Alabama it has never been thought they could grow alfalfa, but our experiment stations have proven that where it has been possible to produce a growth of bur clover, that is, situations where bur clover had been grown, were ideal situations for alfalfa. Bur clover belongs to the same family as alfalfa. They have proven through their experimental tests that it is possible to inoculate the soil where alfalfa does not seem to grow, but where the soil seems to be capable of growing this bur clover. After they have grown bur clover it is then possible to grow this alfalfa.

They have proven, in regard to vetches, that the same bacteria that affects the roots of the garden pea is the same microorganism that affects the roots of vetches; therefore, they have shown that where fields of English peas have been grown the situations are very favorable for the growing of vetches. That is the main line of work carried on in Alabama for the past year or two, of incalculable benefit to the entire state. The consequence is the acreage of alfalfa in Alabama is being increased enormously, especially in certain sections where the English pea is grown on a large scale. In some sections the English peas are planted to the extent of several hundreds of acres, and it has been noted that these situations where large acreage of English peas are grown are peculiarly adapted to the growth of vetches. Bur clover seems to succeed throughout the South on a greater variety of soil than the ordinary alfalfa will. In other words, you can grow bur clover fairly successfully on our red clay, loamy lands. Alfalfa does not make much growth, but if you see it on that land after a crop of clover has been grown the growth is much greater, and it is apparent from that that the inoculation of the soil through the use of clover is of great benefit to the crop of alfalfa which may follow.

There have been no conclusions reached with reference to bacteria that affect the roots of cow peas. They have not been able to prove the bacteria that affects the roots of velvet beans affect the roots of the cow peas, but have made research on that line, and it is safe to say that at no late day they will have data on that subject that will be of great good to the Seed Trade. There is no question in my mind but what there is a great deal in soil inoculation. A few years ago it was made fun of by a great many "smart" men, but they are making these experiments with results, and the farmers are deriving great benefit from these trials, conducted by men capable of carrying out such work. (Applause.)

President Stokes-Mr. Allen, have you anything to say about this?

Mr. Allen-I don't know one word about it.

Mr. H. W. Wood-Mr. Jones was telling me of an experiment made in Connecticut in connection with cow peas. Part of the field had raised cow peas for three years and part had never had cow peas on―all in the same field--and the part where cow peas had been grown before made about twice as much growth as the part where cow peas had not been grown at all. It shows conclusively that where crops of that character are grown for successive seasons, or where the soil is properly inoculated, it produces so much better crops.

Mr. Heffron--Doesn't it also prove the cow pea is a general fertilizer? Judging from the great many catalogues I have read that is the only thing on earth, whether it inoculates or not. After you raise two or three crops certainly the ground ought to be richer, according to what we hear about it.

Mr. Wood-(Louisville)-From what I know of soil inoculation, I think this started in Germany, taken up by the German scientists, and they have advanced it to this country, where it has been tried by a good many experiment stations all over the country, Alabama, probably, giving more time to it than any other state. The Germans have carried it to such an extent that they offer this inoculating compound, as they call it, I forget the name, in bottles, in various ways.