The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-06-30

Ty HE possibilities of chemistr. l seem now more than ever vir tually hmitless. Professor Burbank of California made an important ad vance when he developed the seedless orange and the thornless cactus, anc
 today an o t h ] Growing Potatoes chemist conn Like Cantaloupes forward and tells
 of investigations which will result in still greater dis covery affecting the vegetable king. dom.
 Howard Dean, professor of chemis. try at Park College, Mo-, in speaking before the Missouri Valley Horticul- tural society, said that he had already succeeded in reducing the starch of the potato to sugar, through laboratory treatment. He told of investigations being made by chemists which would lead to startling results. When cer- tain processes are perfected potatoes dug from the ground would taste like cantaloupes, grapefruit would be plucked from trees like cherries and the Sahara desert would bloom like the rose" All these things are we'll nigh in sight, according to Professor Dean.
 But under the laws of nature as we find them at present, and the applica- tion of mans brain and intelligence the cantaloupe supply seems to be about equal to the demand. Science will always be invoked to minister to the human race, but does the world wish to see that good old food stand by, the potato, converted into can taloupe, no matter how deliciously favored? There would be danger, too, of the potato becoming extinct. Pro- lessor Dean told his horticulturist au- dience that it would be possible before a great while "for fruits to be raised so they would taste just as the grower desired"
 There may be something in that, but regarding the potato-cantaloupe- well, most people are from Missouri, notwithstanding the discoveries at Parkville.
 A s much as Colonel Roosevelt likes "A politics, his strongest inclina- ton is toward the military life. The story, therefore, that comes from New York to the effect that in the event a large force of United States
 volunteers being Roosevelt as neened in Mexico a Major General the colonel would
 ask for a major generals commission and raise a di- vision of 12,000 men, accords with the fitness of present conditions.
 Having returned to the republican party it would be like him to get into the thick of the presidential campaign and work for MT. Hughes election. But if there is any big fighting to be done in Mexico, the appeal to Roosevelt's imagination in that direc- tion will be irresistible.
 As the republicans are preparing for a vigorous campaign they are na- turally figuring on great help from the colonel. His personality always counts for something and his pres ence on the hustings would bring many an uncertain vote to the repub- lican ticket.
 But at the head of division of vol unteers he would have larger op- ptstunity of displaying his military genius than ever before. Once in Mex ico he would make drives that for dash might throw into the shade even his brilliant charge up San Juan hill. And if the colonel should achieve great victories for the American arms Congress would doubtless honor him with the permanent rank of major general of the United States army, re- tired.
 There are several exceptionally able major generals on the active list and they would have command in the field inAcase of war on an extended scale. But the colonel has a way of getting to the front. If President Wilson