The sun., 1916-12-31
Prof. Bottomley of London University Has Discovered Cheap Process O
, Extracting Fertilizer From Peat Which May Bring Plenty to the
World and Beat Back Rising Tide of Food Cost

IT have furnished this new fertiiiser
to the botanical experts Of Kew Gar
dens and they have demonstrated It's
superiority over any other fertilizer
they "a ind. and this new fertilizer
can be manufactured in any country
Of the world out of materials at hand
At very slight expense and In unlim-
tied quantities.
II will not admit that there Is the
slightest danger Of a failure OF the
worlds food supply. no matter Row
vast may be the increase In the popu-
lation Of the world. and therefore I
DO not think that this great war was
In n sense an effort OF nature to
prevent the vaster disaster which
would come with overpopulation. The
imagination Of mankind In incapable
Of c%onceiving a world 30 dcnssly popu-
lated that scientifically intelligent
handling Of its soil would not result
In food sufficient for ALL"
These are some Of the fundamental
statements made by Prof. Bottomley
In the course Of our afternoons talk
high above the roaring streets OF
London. I will e%lucidate them as
nearly as possible as he did.
I'm the FIRST place." said he. 'rct
W consider the present situation.
Here 10 one nation. Germany. threat
ened with starvation because of the
war which she herself has brought
upon the world. Here Ia another coun-
try. my own. England. worrying about
her food supply and taking restrictive
measures because the enemy has In
terfered with the machinery by means
Of which material for our subsistence
hitherto has been imported. France.
for some reaso which Is not clear.
says less about the pinch for food
stuffs. although temporarily she has
lost a large part Of her cultivatable
land.
England buys from abroad 1865
600. 900 worth Of soil products annually.
| This 10 1855. 900, 900 greater than the
value Of her own manufactured prod
ucts.
THAT looks as II England might be
In a bad way. 1t makes the threat
OF starvation which has been made
by the German submarine seem very
real.
1T is not real. England may be In
n bad way but she does not need to be
At present only 3 per cent. OF heI
c~ultivable area is growing bread grain
while Is per cent. OF Germany's cult.
vatable area Is performing this service
and 80 per cent. Ia the French figure.
THAT shows how foolish all talk Of
the starvation Of England really mus
be. for the course of this war ha!
proved that while England may b,
stubborn sooner or later she will d.
that which circumstances may require
and do 1t with a high intelligence, Al
ways she has done It soon enough I,
fend away the ultimate disaster.
This war has reused my country
men to many things. 1t will rous'
them to Justice to the soil. That the!
badly need such an awakening is In
dicated by the fact that British agri
culturists have averaged to use a
pounds Of fertilizer TO the acre. Will,
German and French farmers hav,
been using on an average 105 pound,
to the acre.
What IL England to do? She In I,
use the new fertilizer which has beer
worked out and proved and the ma
terials for which lie hidden in the pea
of England. Ireland. Scotland ant
Wales. 1t In fortunate that at thil
time these islands find themselves Law
ishly supplied with the raw materia