A NEW FERTILISER

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144842, 20 November 1915, Page 4

A NEW FERTILISER

BACTERISED PEAT. At the British Association recently, Profesor \V. B. Bottornloy gave the result of six years’, researches in treating peat with bacteria and so producing a manure fifty times more valuable than two years old farmyard manure. For the complete nourishment of plants there must be organic matter known as humus in the soil, besides nitrates, phosphates and potashes. The substance in humus which really prompted growth had been named auximones. Experiments with tho auximones at Kew Gardens, and at an experimental station in the Lea Valley, had given some remarkable results. Plants apparently dying had been’ restored to normal and more than normal growth. Four potato sots, weighing a. few ounces in all, were all placed in a small box of moss litter and watered once a week With the extract from bacterised peat, and produced Sib. of potatoes m eight weeks. Forty runner bean plants yielded a bushel and a half of beans weekly. The best twelve of a number of radishes grown with ordinary manure weighed Sjoz., whilst the second best dozen of others treated with bacterised peat weighed stoz. One tomato plant.had 161 b. of tomatoes upon it at once. Professor Bottomley said that the Board of Agriculture had recognised the’ importance of the discovery from the point of view of the future food supply of the country .by making a grant to his college for further research; that tlie bacterised peat can be produced for a few pounds, a ton and that in all probability it will be placed on the market within the next few months.