The St. Johns herald., 1901-02-16
INCREASING ENERGY.
Scientific Opinion of the Earth's
 Productive Possibilities.
The Noted Electrician, Nikola Tesla, Discusses the Problem of Fer tilixatfOn by Means of Ma
 ture's Forces.

'sThe Problem of Increasing Human Energy" with special reference to the harnessing of the sun's energy, is dis cussed in the Century, by Nikola Tesla.
 "To increase materially the produc- tivity of the soil, it must be more effec- lively fertilized by artificial means. The question of food production re- solves itself, then, into the question how hest to fertilize the soil. What it is that made the soil is still a mystery. To explain it's origin is probably equiv alent to explaining the origin of life itself. The rocks, disintegrated by moisture and heat and wind and weath- CT. were in themselves not capable of maintaining life. Some unexplained condition arose, and some new princi- ple came into effect, and the first layer capable Of sustaining low organisms, like mosses. was formed. These, by their life and death, added more of the life-sustaining quality to the soil. and higher organisms could then subslst, and so on and on, until at last highly developed plant and animal life could flourish. But though the theories are, even now, not in agreement as to now fertilization is effected, it is fact, only too we'll ascertained. that the soil can not indefinitely sustain life, and that some way must be foundi to supply 1t with the substances which have been abstracted from it by the plants. The chief and most valuable among these substances are compounds of nj trogen, and the chief production oI these is, therefore, the key for the so. lution of the allimportant food prob lem. Our atmosphere contains an in- exhaustible supply of nitrogen, and could we but oxidize it and produce these compounds, an incalculable ben- eft for mankind would follow.
 "Long ago this idea took powerful hold on the imagination of scientific men, but an efficient means for accom- plishing this result could not be de. vised. The problem was rendered ex. tremely difficult by the extraordinary inertness of the nitrogen, which re- fuses to combine even with oxygen. But here electricity comes to our aid; the dormant aff1nities of the elements are awakened by an electric current of the proper qualities.
 "In the manufacture of nitrogen compounds by this method, of course. every possible means bearing upon the intensity of tbis action and the eff. ciency of the process will be taken ad- vantage of, and, besides, special ar arrangements will be provided for the fxation of the compounds formed, as they are generally unstable, the nitro gen becoming again inert after little lapse of time. Steam is simple andIef- fective means for fixing permanently the compounds. The result illustrated makes it practicable to oxidfze the at. mospheric nitrogen in unlimited quan. titles, merely by the use of cheap me chanicaI power and simple electrical apparatus. In this manner many com pounds of nitrogen may be manufac-' tured all over the world, at a small cost, and in any desired amount, and by means of these compounds the soil can be fertilized and it's productiveness indefinitely increased. An abundance of cheap and healthful food, not arti. fcial, but such as we are accustomed to, may thus be obtained. This new and inexhaustible source of food sup ply will be of incalculable benefit to mankind, for it will enormously con. tribute to the increase of the human mass, and thus add immensely to hu. man energy. Soon, I hope, the world will see the beginning of an industry which, in time to come, will, I believe. be in importance next to that of iron.'