The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-03

almost as true In America as in the Ola
World The Oldest farms here are youn1 N
compared with those In Europe, yet thu
European farmers have been SO careful ts
nure, tho clements which have been takeI
away in the form Of crops that soil ex.s
hnustlon ls not much nearer there thar 3
here. Down to date the snltpetro beds Of
furnish fertilizers cheaper thnn they car
now be electrically extracted, but un.S
doubtedly the electricians will be able ID
secure an unlimited supply Of fertilizerA
from the air at practical prices wheti.,
ever the world shnll demand It." N
would such extensive extraction OF
nitrogen make q sensible change In the /
COMP o;; Of tho atmosphere event 4
Possibly. The quantity OF free nitro
gen In tho air is practically Incompetence
sble, there being almost four, times "a 4
m hna nitrogen as oxygen, but there has
making nitric acid from tho alr-nitr!o \
acid belnlS.hc form in which nitrogen. is
generally 'obtained-a good deal more
nitrogen is distracted. n
1T is supposed. but not known, that
nntf-rc renews the two gases IN their
proper proportion It Is conceivable that
ultimately the extraction Of eases from
the mir might render It UNFIT to support
either animal or plant life, us We know
those phenomena. * IN
ut is believed that there have been
great changes In the composition q tho i
MIR; TINT In the remote past It WIS SUCH
that man could not have breathed "
and lived. Everything In nnture changes;
there is no reason to believe that univer-,88l
sal change will not continue" sSss 3sS
Stenmetz does not believe In the
scheme being tried constantly to produce
tho electric current directly from coal
ut a profit: = J: sHE
most econon1 cal appe ratus yet devised TOT
transform heae into power and Is likely
to remain 80. r delivers to the ELECTRIC
formation. "a ..Ss
while there is a waste OF from eighty
to ninety per cent. Of energy in chang
only from ten to twenty per cent In do
veloping the power Of the steam & The 4
electric current, which, 1t must be res
Inembered, is not a power at all, merely
talking the power You give 1t ut one place
and delivering it ut another, wastes Less
I'll tho operation than any other known
transmission agency. IS 4. 45 MA !ssS
improved. but probably not much. Tho
inventor, then, who should devise new
forms of furnaces or. boilers that would
conserve moro Of the coal energy now
wasted would be OF the greatest possible
value to tho development OF electriclty:sS
Suppose that 20 per cent. OF the Goals
energy ls now secured--which Ism the
case--nnd that the inventor have inns
vent. more, or 80 pei. cent. in all, he would
add 90 per cent.8t to the power available
from the burning OF what coal the world
add cen to The
4 Of the power given to 1t which is already
conserved by the electric Juice, would
add only one-eighth. or 13 Ia per cent?,
st tne 1ea does not P think It viii
be profitable to use the power Of wind.
mills. developed when there is plenty Of
wind, and storing the surplus current IN;
storage batteries SO &us to have q steady
power. 55 ID s4f z3i III tgs
'.The power Of the wind Is relatively So
weak" said he, 'thnt q vast number Of
windmills, covering much space wonids
be required to develop cay poWer.Ror r,li
Of order constantly and 1t would cost#toos
pluch to keep them In repair. /,
big storms would often wreck .th en-
and there would be such long cams, IN a snas
Would ss,S L. fail The storage batteries would
be troublesoR. and expensive. Electro
power could be got By burning trees
Have al, been we'll re-estnblished. more 600:
nomcully than by tho use OF w1ndmillse .s''$
''yVhat about the manufacture and u.s.
tributton Of the current for tne use
grain, cutting fodder and the like ?''s Ss
ut is perfectly feasible. Motors can
be and nre made 80 simple that the intel
ligent American farmer can use them
much easier thru he can use a steam en-
CINE. do not know that there has been
any such electrical development so far,9i
after the necessary 5eflucnt>>a OF the elec-a3
trical engineer and the farmer has BEEN
accomplished. I do not look to sec power
Companies, but rather BY specially organ-.%I
lied companies, catering exclusively to 4
the consumers OF power and light in the
farm Work Of tho farm and lighting thg@
farmhouse With the power Of q WATERFALL
miles away, or through tho burning OF an
old culm pllo Mt Che mouth OF a, dlstansg
amine, will be truly revolutionary. v iifls
copyright. 1Uoe, by Dexter Marshall s