Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-02-12
To Abolish Malthusianism.
PLENTY FOR ALL-ARTIFICIAL FERTILE
ZER AID FOOD PRODUCTS.

LEk AND EOOD fAtObLRA9s
EDITOR HERALD noticed that q
few weeks ago the Lancaster Literary
Society grappled with the old and ugly
Malthusian Doctrine. The discussion Of
this problem involves two subjects
in which have long been much inter
ested: sociology aud applied chemistry.
The earth contains in inconcelva0le
abundance all the elements for the sus-
tepance of animal life. and none OF It
can ever be actually destroyed; it may
be change in form but it passes through
these changes in one eternal circle Inc
earth can furnish sustenance for as
much animal life as can find footing
upon its surface, provided only that TINS
round OF the elements is made quit
enough. The chemist has not yet learned
how to combine in his laboratory into
food forms or forms that animal organs
can assimilate the elements which
exist in such immense abundance Only
the wonderful chemistry of plant life
can do that now. So we look to the
soil for our food.
Few of our people have anything like
a correct idea Of how much an acre OF
the earths surface can produce. Prince
Kropotkin. well informed writer on
Intensive Agriculture, shows that such
agriculture on the little island Of Guern-
sew Compared with which English ag-
riculture is crude and poor, and Amerl'
can agriculture much more SOD one
acre, by means OF fertilizers glass pro
lection, warming the soil by steam pipes
etc. is made to produce as much as
eight acres of the ordinary English farm
The capacity of the earth for support
ing animal life is therefore now ques-
ton of fertilizers. Given these and water
heat and light and every acre of the
earth's surface however barren natm al
ly, can support great many human be-
ings. The four grand elements Of the
food matter which plants furnish to an
imals are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and
nitrogen. The other elements, much
smaller in quantity but still important,
are potash, soda and the phosphates.
There are immense deposits of the
phosphates in many parts OF the world,
notably 10 the wilds of Canada. On the
plains at the base of our western noun
tains are inexhaustible quantities OF
potash and soda set free by the disin
tegration of the primitive rocks. When
we shall have public railroads that will
transport thes, fertilizers from these
now wildernesses, and furnish them 10
the agriculturist at cost, every acre Of
our earths zone can be cheaply sup
piled with the little it needs Of these ell
ements.
As to three of the grand elements,
plants can get all they can use from The
inexhaustible stores of carbonic acid in
the air apj the hydrogen of the water.
But nitrogen is now the grand desider-
alum Farmers pay three or four cts.
a pound for nitrate salts which are only
one sixth nitrogen, and thus they pay
about 20 cts pound for this element.
But over every acre of the farmers land
and of the wilderness and the barren
sea as we'll, hang hundreds of tons of
s, ha ~ ha
air and there are Is lbs. of air over ev-
cry square inch of the earth's surface.
But ANIMALS can assimilate none and
plants little or none of this free nitro
gen. and the great problem is how to get
this inexhaustible, incalculable mass of
food wealth into the food with little la
Dor and expenfe.
Here is to 10 the next great triumph
of science-to combine the nitrogen OF
. the air with the hydrogen of the water,
thus forming ammonia, which all plants
eat greedily. Now, think the manu-
featuring plant necessary to make
ammonia in this manner will cost thou
sands of dollars. 1t will be beyond the
reach of the mass of men. II such
plants are held IN the hands of private
owners they will be only another means
of pilng up wealth in the hands of
few, wealth to be used as an engine for
the oppression of the lower classes
and a matter for the corrup-
ton Of the middle classes.
Therefore hope that the discovery will
be made by our government chemists
and that before it shall be made the
American people viii have recognized
that government of the people. for the
people, and by the people, is nothing
but a public agency which ought to do
for the public everything which 1t
can do to the better advantage of the