New-York tribune., 1910-10-30

,.,,rresse5 av Tie fact that the ground Is
- la, resting place OF everything that
,;,-oa almost every one has believed up 10
,b;s Generation that the soil was dead
r7.-odoxicaI the words OF Walt " hitnlan
sounded only a few years ago when ne
refused 10 see anything but lie In every
asnec- Of the rolling earth. Now We Kno"
-har il actually teens with life scieiltis,s
have told US thar every process OF the sou
,,3,-sterioss chemistry is due TO one paiu
a.. li,-i-,o organism We know that some
Ills live q more active life than others
tbat some are dormant, almost dead
II we take a handful OF soft soil and eN-
amino il superficially We only see cruill-
Hing mass OF stone and sand and black bi's
Of decsved vegetation. Let us, however
srudy il more closely with the help OF
powerful microscope. An eNtfao1olhafS
scene is enacted under our eyes. Meulas'
se-ments and bacteria are doing Their aIiot-
-cd tasks feyerislly, destroying, creating
,,ro,,ir,- diving and being born anew. Cur
,en1s Of water flow through the mass, waves
Of heat e1nanate from It. The unseen fauna
.,,,7 ao-a .,f the soil are even more complex
,nsn those which cling to its surface or
move over ii
And after all very little is known about
T.. ,bc soil. the foundation OF agriculture
,be beginning OF ali life and of all wealth,
las been very seldom the subject Of serious
studies.
An ounce Of loan might keep a scientist
p work all Tho days Of his life. for that
ounce Of loan is made up Of as many as
four hundred million particles OF matter
and from year 10 year, from month 10
month. the composition Of Il changes. Some
simes il dies.
Pehllv. rocky sandy wastes represent the
soils sil zness and death. The natural proc
o. OF lie is to make live soil from the
rocks chipDed by the elements and mixed
with decayed vegetation. Too often that
rrocess had been interrupted by mysterious
agencies Many OF the stones found IN bar
r., wastes were once soil. Sandstone which
IS used for trimming buildings was once
soil and hardened into stone. Pudding
stones or conglomerates were ail'e once
Something killed them
few weeks ago Drs. Russell and Hutch
snson told the British Association and the
,,orld what killed them. They had sue
cee5ed IN isolating the germ which caused
lsrrenness in the soil.
This means that relief is in sight, for
N,hcnevcr the germ Of a disease has been
isolated The discovery Of its vaccine is gen
orally not far distant.
In all likelihood soils VIII soon be vac
ciuated Ike individuals. Cultures OF sol
Destroying germs reduced to the Lowest
,,oirt Of vitality viii probably be prepared
which viii allow the soil building bacteris
30 devour them easily and 10 struggle sue
oessfully against enemies Of a more az
lressive and virulent type.
And thus VIII the two fears end which
used 10 obsess economists. The population
cf the world is increasing rapidly, and
Nautilus once had visions OF World-Wld'
shortage OF fOod. Other economists noted
mat the fertility OF the earth was de
.reasinr. and concluded that after We eN
l,austed the saltpetre deposits, which i'm
1art 20 wornGdt soil an artificial life
hunger would stare US in the face mucf
sooner than even the pessimistic Malthui
lad predicted.
Saitpetre NAV now become a thing OF III
past. as the island deposits Of Euano haF'