New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-04-09
IN RUPERT OF HENTZAU."
Lyceum Theatre.

troqenous matter into nitric acid Nitrogen is
indispensable as plant-food, and plants can ds
simulate il ONLY when presented IN the form ol
nitric acid commonly known as aqua US
That is incapable of auto-locomouoh, ana can
be distributed only through the dust when lhIis
upon the soil and upon the leaves OF trees az
niants Hence dust is essential to the pursuit Oh
agriculture and IL il wasn't being carried ABOUT
constantly on the breeze through the ar We
would simply have to quit farming anlnlaiS
would have nothing 10 feed upon anu W, "O"''
have neither meat nor bread nor vegetables.
y have been spending Some years contlhueu
Professor Wiley, lin the investigation Oh tle a,
ri cultural value Of dust, and IL Is q very MP
tant subject The soil is continually bvlhS IL
vived and enriched from the particles thd' al
floating about i'll the atmosphere lhey colnV
from two sources: first. atoms OF the edrth sur
face caught up by the wind and distributed else
where. and second, what we cal cusihiC uu9'
that is mineral matter OF meteo1c origin. 80.
I'VE are getting gradually to understand us
quantity It's value and the important part IL
plavs in agriculture. The heavenly Dodles arr
constantly shedding fragments or iron ana o'heI
mineral substances, which taii with gted' W
locitv and when they reach the atmosphere lh"t
surrounds the earth are heated by friction anu
catch fire by contact with the oxygen. They
are then burned to ashes and scattered IN MI
mute and invisible atoms. some or the larger
pieces that become detached from the stars
reach the earth without being entirely con
sumed We call them meteors, but the httle
particles that permeate the air, because OF TINS
peruetual and violent bombardment from the
and other chemicals, which are absolutely essen
tial in renewing the fertility Of the soil
What we call terrestrial dust is also or great
Importance to agriculture. In many places the
soil is almost entirely composed OF particles that
have been left there by the winds This is par
ticularlv true of soils that are made UP or vol
canic ashes which carried immense DIS
tances from the craters considerable per-
centage Of the soil on the eaIths surface was
originally volcanic dust, which has been 0lstrlp-
uted by that good friend Of man we call the
wind Pompeii and Herculaneum illustrate the
great depth to which volcanic dust may reach.
These are called HcOlian soils.
The dust from the streets OF cities IS or a
COMPOSITE nature and carries all sorts OF frag-
rnents and atoms in various stages OF decay. 1t
has q high degree Of agricultural significance
because it is loaded with germs OF all KINDS.
Some OF them are very useful and some are IN
furious The effect upon the public health is
not Injurious except where the dust carries
pathogenic germs-that is, the germs or disease
As an illustration, the sputum of consumptlve,
If elected on the sidewalk. Is reduced 10 dust
when IL dries and is then distributed through
the air in the form of germs. II they find iodg-
ment in the lungs of human being whose
physical condition allows them to revive and
grow the disease gets foothold and can be
conveyed from one to another"