The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1902-07-06

timlt" scientific acquaintance. The students
VIII b.E.U with general bioiOSy-the study
90 those processes OF the living organism
vGich are common TO animal end vegetable
life. u-i embracing. therefore. a general
laboratory and textbook knowledge OF
pants and animals wiki the whole Ohse-va-
t0ry as a daily object lesson. Then. on this
ElsiS or general knowledge. the course VIII
cover sucee-sIvely several hT1nchss o. zOo!-
Cry and hort1y. and the students VIII -hls
become f4uil'ariZ.d with animals rs animals
a-i with plants as plants Finally. the last
va-k o. the course VIII lie devoted TO physi-
~C-rnlhy-thn why and wherefore. as Il
were. OF = orrcphy. and Will Illustrate bit
l. bit fhe natural processes that have de-
V-luf-i rin hills. valleys. brooks and ponds
cf TIE observatory BGt the Influence %
tire observatory naturally does not stop
there.
Bat this IS. after all. Only q mall part of
she programme Of thr new Institution. Its
direct bearing upon economic problems IS
PERHAPS Of even greater importance
There is the nitrogen fixing organism"
f"r example. which hollis the possibility %
mentioned Into g garden This microh".
which Is s;ul 20 n.w iu scientific recneri-
ton that II has really not been chgtsteEed.
although Il has appeared commercially I'M
DIR various names given g by Eauuf5ctur-
ing companies. lives az the roots OF clover
aH- 0aA.HA AH=AaAANaNAE pam A-A
By some - Yet unknown process. TO eX-
tIact nitrogen from the air with the plant
as a medium OF transmission. Apparently,
tint Is. The little m.crobe sucks nitrogen
out OF The air. using the plant very much
as n thirsty customer makes use OF "A straw
IN abstractinE the liquid portion OF an ice
cream soda. The plant. however, still gets
the benefit Of the nitrogen. and so does the
soil In which Il "a growing. The fact Itself
WIS discovered when scientific Investigation
began seeking n reason why the planting
Of clover in soil from which agriculture
had already exhausted the nitrogen. re-
stored the soil u !ts original condition and
mad. f. serviceabie 'Or the planting Of
other crops. And IL was found that this
KINDLY micrcha could be artinciaily trans
f-rrad to certain other plants which could
thus be grown In what had always been
considered hostile territory. This discovery
itself simply opens this field to a long series
81 future experiments and its possibilities
can only as yet De distautly imagined
Again there IS the microbe that puriaes
g, NaEe-aUd tits IS only one out OF many
sthsr microbes which are engaged ir a
work OF notification az one kin or another
that f. q material aid 70 humnuity-and
that is now being investigated at the insu-
r.s. and for whose comfort special ar
rarrsments are likely to be made at the
sharon observatory. In the animal king
dom there are likewise a long list Of posi-
bic Investigations. II has been recently
proved at the institute. FOR example. that
a certain system % feeding hens produces
an egg IN which there Is a marked addition
o. iron. Their IS the possible development.
b. feeding. grating. or mating. Of new or
sr-ciaI breeds OF plants. fruits. trees. pig
cons. or poultry. There is the improve
m-rt 81 food products OF all descriptions:
even the Belgian hare. which most persons
REGARD as a lcxgry. II excellent food and
very Ike a chicken, according TO those
who have eaten IL in California. But the
question OF the best methods Of breeding
the chicsel-lks Belgian hare in the cli-
mate og New England Is stiil a subject for
experiment and observation. And this list
IS a mere suggestion Of the relation be-
tween sciences and the problems OF every
day existence. for which the new obserya-
tory Is intended to offer a place for careful
Investigation and solution.
The observatory is hus meant TO serve
\ tBo-fold purpose. In its relation TO all