The Dillon herald. [volume] (Dillon, S.C.) 1894-????, 1910-09-29

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is well under way. Much Of the
work OF the first and smaller plant
will be experimental The second
great installation will be directed
towards the commercial ends and
then effort will be directed towards
inducing farmers and large planters
in the general territory to purchase
the necessary machinery for home
production OF first element in the
composition OF commercial fertil-
izers.
1t is of interest in this connection
to know that three of the most
skilled and expert chemists in the
country have been working unceas-
ingly on this scheme for the past
three years
The Process.
Ii is impossible to enter into the
details of the several processes
whereby fertilizers may be pro
duced from the air. IL is an electro
chemical process which centers
about the forcing OF atmosphere
through flames which is said to
thus producing that gas which
with the addition of water in Gre
tain proportions gives nitric acid.
The atmosphere is forced in a pipe
through flames which it is saind to
re fixed" and then before il Is
a fn L..
the proper mixing Of water nitric
acid is secured BY subjecting
these gases to limestone very
valuable compound used in COM
'aero,al fertilizer is secured, namely
nitrat" of lime. The process is said
not TO be extraordinarily difficult
and as soon as the practical details
are worked out it will be compara-
lively simple. That nothing could
be done until the high temperature
Was procurable is evident And
the great hydro-electrical develop
meIit of this general section remov-
es this most important impedimen-
Ia.
Mr.. Lee Talks.
Mr.. Lee discussing the PROPOSE
ton said:
How many times have we stood
and watched the beauty of a thun-
der storm. and wondered what good
the tremendous and oft-times de-
structive charges Of lightning could
do. We are told that as this light
ming flashes through the atmos-
phere it burns and fixes certain
nitrates from the air. These In
turn are washed down by the rain
into the soil. producing fertilizer
This has presented a new scheme
to some Of our scientists, and as we
have made many attempts to har-
ness the lightning in the way Of
our tremendous electrical develop
ments. it Immediately occurs to the
scientists that he should be able to
make these nitrates from the air.
The Harvesting of our immense
water power and our imitation of
the production of lightning has
given us an oportunity to make
these nitrates which, if carried on
successfully. will remedy these
startling conditions.
I'VE are told to-day that in Nor
way and Sweden enormous plants
are now successfully working which
are producing fertilizer and nitro
gen compounds. The matter that
comes nearer home to us is the
manufacture of nitrates in our own
immediate territory. From all in
dications II will be but a short
time in which the entire output of
our water powers will be consuming
their energy in building nitrogen
and producing fertilizer for our
farms right at home.
Each year our electrical i'm
provements are enabling us to ac-
complish greater results. High volt
ages and excessive currents of
Few years ago are very common
place to-day. There has been re-
Gently perfected apparatus that is
not costly but well adapted for the
manufacture of nitrates from the
air