The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-06-03
Food Supplies in the Days to Como.
Artificial Production Of Things TO Eat May Be.
come Necessity TO Mankind Before
The Close OF the Present Century.

WOIlu utlllSe all tnelr wheat grow
ing areas to the utmost, the amount
of wheat produced in the year 1910
will only suffice to meet the de-
mands of the worlds growing pop
ulation of bread-eaters. Capitalists
who attempted to corner wheat in
1850 would probably be stoned in
the market place. But even if un
der wiser social order gambling
with food supplies become impos-
sible, yet it is mathematically de-
monstrable that before the twen-
tieth century is out the world Of
men-who are born wheat-eaters-
will be faced with many tremen
dous problems Of food supply. In
the geological past races of animals
have faded to extinction chiefly be-
cause their food supply has failed
them. Is mans fate to be the
same? Or will man, who is ma
ture's rebel, find way out?
ARTIFICIAL FOOD PRODUCTION.
The way out which suggests it
self is that of making food artifi-
cially. The great chemist, Emil
Fischer, has been for years past ex-
perimenting with the synthetic pro-
duction of protein. He is within
measurable distance of making the
simplest form of vegetable protein
but the step from that to protein
suitable for food may be immeasur-
ably long. Before that is reached
we may have recourse to another
method, which is that of stimulat-
ing the growth of plants by cheini-
cal products. Of these chemical
products the one which Is nearest
to Our hands is the artificial nitrate
and as Sir William Crookes pointed
out eleven years ago-if we can
produce this cheaply from the nj
trogen of the air we may put our
selves in possession of chemical
which will stave off starvation for
generations to come.
NITRATES FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.
The synthesis OF the nitrogen
and oxygen of the atmosphere by
means of electric discharges has
long been dream of the industrial
chemist, and various processes
more or less tentative-have been
devised towards that end. The
Birkeland-Eyde process is the out
come of the perfected experiments
Of Professor K Birkeland, Of Chris
tiania University, in association
with Samuel Eyde. also of Christi
ania, All engineer, whose intimate
knowledge of the engineering and
technical requirements requisite for
the task of the fxation of nitrogen
from the atmosphere direct, has en-
abled the practical realization of a
project for the production of soil
ferti)izer-nitrate of lime.
The special feature in this pro-
cess is the furnace in which syn
thesis is effected. Electric dis
charges are produced by alternating
currents at very high voltage be-
tween copper electrodes placed be-
tween the poles of large electro
magnet. An electric arc results,
which takes the form of a roaring
disc OF fame four or five feet in di-
ameter. Through this air is gent
ly blown. The nitrous vapors with
which the air is thus charged are
passed through water towers,
where they are absorbed i'll water
and in qnicklime, the whole of the
products being converted into nj
trate Of lime, which is concentrat-
ed. AS thus produced from the
surrounding atmosphere the final
stage Of the nitrate is a finely
ground, brownish compound of
lime, free from smell, and easily
soluble in water.
ADVANCES IN REDUCTION.
The original output during the
early operations was a couple of
thousand tons per annum. the
whole of which was disposed of in
Scandinavia and on the Continent,
with the exception of some small
trial lots in the United Kingdom.
however, a new factory
has been completed at Notodden, in
Norway, by the Norwegian Hydro
Electric Nitrogen Company, Ltd,
admitting of a production of 2o.-
300 tons of nitrate of lime annually.
it will not stop at this
point, since, in the course of another
.wo years, the output will be in
creased to about 100000 tons per
annum, and there would seem to
De, with the vast resources of pow
er available from the Norwegian
an ever increasing pros