A contribution to the investigation into the results of partial sterilisation of the soil by heat

Extract

The discovery that partial sterilisation by heat is capable of greatly increasing the fertility of the soil, opens up possibilities full of interest both to agriculturist and to horticulturist. Steaming the soil has already become a common practice by growers of tomatoes under glass, where the soil in the houses when “sick,” that is, infertile no matter how heavily manured, is treated with steam, whereby its fertility is completely restored.