The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1885-08-31
SUBJUNCTIvE MOOD.
PUT SCiENTiFiCALLY-S THINGS
THAT MAY HAPPEN.


ANN ARBoR, Mich, Aug. ~. AT the
SESSION OF the American A ISOLATION for the
Advancement of Science, Mr., Edward At
klnson, chairman of the section on economic
science and statistics delivered a long aud
eiaoorate address. Wednesday, on 1.-THE
Application Of Science to Production and
Con umption"
Referring to the po ,sibilities of the future.
Mr. Atkinson sad: Whoever can attract
the nitrogen OF the atmosphere and combine
1t with tie pota IA ol Germany and the ptios.
pbaLts OF South Carolina or Canada will
add to tue iaaC element Necessary to secure
perm 'nenL abundance IN agriculture at the
lease ~ L. IL /, po,sibla-l Will even LAY
prebable-that tho solution OF this question
may lle IN the one plaht, which might well
be adopted On the GOAL o, arms OF tnIs coun
try, aamely, indlan cora"
Alter n few lurta-r remarks Mr. Atkinson
tooA AZ L.Ie practical part OF his addre ~.
tie sald: l,ec..lhng Jne fact that with re-
respect 10 tnls lowe,t plane OF common
laborer, the mere Vrice OF food constitute
10 per cent. of tAe cost OF living, even for
those WHO are fully and continuously occu.
pea, 1t VIII be very obvious that il
We caH show them how to maintain
thsm,elVes III full vigor at a cost OF
~ or 10 per cent of tIeir ordinary
income We shall have done good services.
lilo then said that chemical investigation
howell that the Scotch, IN selecting oat-
meal, adopted that KIND of food which gives
them the rignt proportions of nutrient ma
torial ut tue very lowe t cost; that the peo-
pie OF New Eaglaad have also come to a
similar conclu ,lnn by SIMILAR process id
their haked boans and pork ami the negroes
of tine south in their C rnmea and bacon.
In order to show that the cost of food
may lie reduced he said:
Let ME remind you that iron ore is now
being converted iii part to animal food in
Germany. and that we may perhaps louR
mainly IT, our mines and to our Atmosphere
for our vegetable ami animal food rather
| th III to any other scarce. If uthar res urces
fail We may treat the sol as "a laboratory
when the soil itself iaIi. or b,ginS to fail O,
| mine We may ro~toro it with minera
element, from mine> in whIch they are
| found i'll a concentrated form. 1t may
| Ha proved that the milan corn plant i.
| analogous to clover. to The ,uulhtra COW
| IA, and to lew other plant, in bang en-.
| labla OF deriving its nitrogen, somehow OIL
| other. from the nitrogen ct the atmusphere
| ~ from some other 45nral source, and that
| II nne : no expensive nitrngenous terttliBeI
Ia be applied to thu soil, prov ided the Other
while the corn has done well with the phos
| phate and potash salt,. it has given still
| larger and more satisfactory results where
| these AMI farm mauureS were used to
| gather.
| Mr. Atkinson also referred to the value o.
| eotton-ssel meal As fertilizer and As fooC
! r boasts yielding the most valuable ma
nure, 10y the use OF which we may ENABLE
our laboratory t. grow In liam corn at tn,
rate Of twenty to twenty tive, ami snmt
claim even thirty tons of forage to the acre
Ii the hypothesis lie alter sustained thai
Indian cora has the power of gathering ii
| nitrogen from natural sources then II may
he safely affirmed that Il 3-year-old stee
| can he produced upon the waste land o
New England, nj thu, time, at los cos
| tAau the anne ste9t eau he produce,
from Texas by way Of the westerns plain
a the Brighton abatior on the basis o
;he present charge OF Texas cattle o.
& eir native plain Hero then we ma,
he able to reduce The cost of meat ii the al
sentative IF ing less maat Is not accept
abb. Bnt even If this solution NAV No
prove to he tho true and final one, may W
not eX,ect t. dispiace the semi barbarous o
wild system of raj in- steers on our fsr-dis
tant plains moving them in cruel cattle car
Mt heavy cost. and thus providing meat whic
is liable tn ts unwholesome-by substitute
me methods more consistent with SCIENCE
When We can do 30 We NAV be able to al
wise our yonnE men in New England to sta
east rather than go vast, and thus maintai
safer and better balance Of our populs
ton, which in Ma sachusetts more tina
one-fOurth part is foreign-born.
The address was accompanied by sta
tistics showing the cost of food In institr
lions and families OF different social order
in this and other countries, the pee unfair
economy OF foods, etc.