Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-09-26
MAKING MONEY out OF AIR
Method Of Gathering Nitrogen by
Electricity and Bacteria.
Animal Wastes Of World Cannot
supply Demand-What science
Has Accomplished.

waidemar Kaempffert Writes in the
outlook:
| For centuries the farmer has min
gled manure with his soil He never
know why until the modern chemist
told him that barnyard manure cor
tains a liberal amount Of nitrogen IN
form which plant roots can absorb
But the supply Is so limited that thu
animal wastes OF the world cannot
supply the agricultural demana.
America and Europe have been COM
PEELED TO buy nxed nitrogen In form OF
saltpeter, deposited In ages past In
just one spot. Behind plateau b.O0o
feet In elevation and 20 miles from the
Pacific coast that deposit lies on a
dreary. parched strip of lana. rarely
blessed with rain, totally devoid OF
life. yet vsrrtable geological boon TO
Chile. The dry pampas has meant
more in the development OF CIVILIZATION
than any gold or diamond mine. 1t
has long constituted not only the most
valuable possession of Chile. but the
very life blood Of many European
farm. A curious rock crops out here
and there. sometimes gray. sometimes
pink. sometimes white Salt 1t un-
iauestionably Is. Of a kind that the
world buys as ealtpeter and the chem
lat knows as nitrate Of soda.
That iepos;t Is at present the priu-
cipal source OF Agricultural fertilizer
The first rhip-load. sent to Europe In
1925, could not be sold. and had to he
thrown away. In 1911 about 10000
900 tons we're mined by crude. waste
full methods to produce 100000 tons
OF salable product One hundred mil =
lion dollars was the value Of the prod
uct. and $4,000. 900 was paid By thu
, United States for It's share. BY 1918
the worlds consumption will have
reached 100000 tons. worth about
s475. 900. 900.
NEARING EXHAUSTION
The Nitrate Propaganda association Of
Chile says saltpeter still available for ex-
traction is 246.00O.00 TONS about enough
To meet demands for half a century. That
estimate Is confirmed by Professor tsron-
deau OF Paris. the leading French author
ity on fertilizers. Three years ago ne cal.
culated that by 1855 the worlds demand
would reach FIVE million tons of disable
nitrate per annum. and that II years later
the supply would be exhausted. rhat Is
why, UP to a few years ago. starvation
stared the world in the face.
, 1t was the distinguished English chem
list, Sir William Crookes, who sounued
the alarm. In 1894 ne pointed out that
wheat was an indispensable food. but that
production was not keeping pace with
population. Production could not increase
because practically all available farm land
was under cultivation. lie estimated that
by 1881 white races would number go. go.
90 and occupy the arabic areas ~ Inc
temperate zone. He asked. where car
4 We grown the additional bushels required
ten years later by hungry world!'
The accuracy of his estimate may be
questioned. But his paper served to direc
attention to the necessity Of increasing
Yield per acre and Of restoring nitrogen e
worp-out soils
Nature has her own slow way of fixing
nitrogen so that It can be digested by
s plants. The sultry air Is charged witt
electricity. Suddenly there Is a pnndint
flash Of lightning. A huge electric sparl
fixes infinitesimally small part OF tn
atmospheres nitrogen. and the rain con
yeys 1t 70 the earth. How many thunder
storms in aeons past were required t
make the earth bear fruit no man cal
guess
Bacteria. too. nature EMPLOYS. Certain
varieties she has endowed with the prop
erty Of absorbing nitrogen from the al
and Of feeding 1t to plant roots.
ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING.
The world has been saved from starva
a tion by copying the methods Of nature
Both electricity and microscopic nitrogen
fixing organisms arc the tools. II natur
nxes nitrogen by burning SO much al
d at every lightning nash. why not repea
the experiment on less Rrandiose seal
with artificial lightning flashes? Grea
4 heat accompanied by electric action
necessary. What could be easier than I
create a small thunderstorm lasting ?
hours, or a week. II need be. and to a
nitrogen in myrtads OF flashes? II a
electric spark 10 to be used. It must
produced by mechanism so cheap that
fair profit can be earned on the capita
Moreover. the product must be able t
compete with nitrate dug out OF tn
ground IN Chile with cheap labor 1t ha
been no easy task to devise machiner
to answer the requirements OF scientis
and capital. Although success has bee
" achieved, much still remains TO be don
% In perfectins and cheapening the process
y Two Americans. Bradley and Lovejo,
:. made the first experiments In 1900. a
- Niagara Falls. Scientifically their wor
:. |. was immensely valuable: commercially.
% failure. In an iron cylinder four and one
y half feet high and four feet In diamete,
=. studded with expensive platinum point!
81 a vertical shaft rotated. The shaft wa
:, ., likewise studded with platinum points