The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1915-01-05
COOPERATION Is WIDENING
Head of Chemistry Department
of The University of North
Carolina Answers Inquiry
Made By President Fairfax
Harrison, of The Southern
Railway Company; German
Precedent Cited
Especial to The News and Observer

Especial to The News and Observer
Chapel Hill, Jan. 2.-The necessity
for active and intelligent cooperation
between scientific laboratories and
Southern Industries as a means to
Fastening the economic independence
of the South, and the question Of
what is being don to meet this need
is brought out in recent correspond
ence betWeen Fairfax Harrison, pres
ident Of the Southern Railway. and
DR.. Charles H. Herty, head OF the
chemistry department OF the Univer~
sity Of North Carolina. DR.. Herty is
himself the inventor Of a method for
harvesting turpentine that has revo-
lutionized that industry and saves
millions of dollars yearly to the South.
President Harrison wrote to the
University as follows:
LAS the aim of the Southern Rail
| way is not merely to serve the COM
munities which it trayerses, but also
to hasten the economic independence
Of the South by all suitable means, it
IS anxious to ascertain 20 what exteny
the chemical branches Of the South
ern universities are e~ndeavoring to
render the b~y-preducts Of the rapidly
developing Southern mining interests
commercially useful by extracting
dyestuffs and manufacturing other
chemicals therefroIn; in other words.
by bringing the universities in direct
touch with the various phases of
chemical activity, as was the case in
Germany.
"The Southern Railway would,
therefore, be grateful for any Informal
ton which you may be SO kind as to
furnish in this regard, as it is greatly
interested in the development OF the
universities along its lines and has
been particularly interested in tn uni-
l VrSltv extension work which VOW in
~stltutoin has SO wisely in~augurated.'
To which DR.. Herty replied:
president Edward K. Graham OF
4 this university has handed me for re.
ply your letter Of December 18th in
which you inquire to what extent
have the chemical departments Of our
: southern universities brought them-
selves into direct touch with the va.
rlous phases Of chemical activity, as
: was the case in Germany" referring
. especially to the extraction Of dye
f stuffs, etc.
1 take particular pleasure in an
q sWer1ng your letter, as I remember
e with very deep gratitude tina when in
19ol made my first effort along such
a line as you ave in mind, in con-
i nec.on with improvements in the
q naval stores industry, only two BUSH
a ness men OF the South were willing at
the outset to give me a sympathetic
o nearing. Both Of these were railroad
men, former President Egan Of the
Central Of Georgia and your own then
Flce-presldent. MI. w. w. Finley.
1 As to Dyc-Stuffs.
"Replying, therefore, to your spe-
cine question as to the cooperation
in the extraction Of dye-stuffs-there
ma been no such cooperation. Not
Il however, because OF lack Of interest
but rather for the reason that this
1T neld. SO thoroughly worked up from
of the standpoint in both Eng.
to land and Germany, has in the Soutt
ID presented questions Of industrial econ.
lg omics rather than Of chemical re.
n search.
ne Your broaded question as to gen
o. erai cooperation etwee the labora
tories and industries, finds. I think
Of sympathetic answer here in this de-
n though there are still man,
es defects in that cooperation Uhici
it's should exist il both parties to tn,
Lrt co-operatlon are to profit to the great
,ls est extent.
er The bulk Of cur work has hee,
naturally to the training of undar
The men who have en-
pIiasi1eu chemistry in their under
;ao O. ~ork nave gone into indus
hu uIS where tney have proved thei
value in aiding in the chemical 49,
troi OF many Of our Southern indms
or tfies. This is notably the case in tn
ay- IRON and steel districts lying aro,,n
birmingham, Alabama. The Chi
a chemist at Ensley and many Of ~
m in his labora DRY. the SINE,
thtendent OF the Semet-Solvay by-nr1
lIs uucIs plants at Ensley, the superir
f m N OF the Afys furnace at Ri
airy at Thomas. Alaham. IuIhat
an - ~0 iA0Hy