The Robesonian., 1917-05-10
THE PROGRESS OF SCIENCE
German Science is Now Occupied in
Finding a Substitute for Euoru4h;n :.

LIE fROGRESS OF SCIENCE
German Science is Now OCCUPIED in
Finding Substitute for Everything
CIranslated for The Robesonian
from the Paris Journal des Debates
6y Rev. H. A. Grantham, pastor of
Trinity Episcopal church of Lumber
tom
Mirabeau remarked that"War is the
Prussian national industry.
No one can say at this momenft
whether or not this Industry" will
balance its account by real industrial
benefits, but it is certain that Ger
man science has derived great profit /
therefrom. K
It is almost inconceivable how
much three years of war has stimu-
lated the scientific zeal of the Ger
man savants.
During the first period their altru-
istic genius labored Tor us seeking
ways in which to be agreeable; i. e.,
lnventing explosives of high power,
more deadly inflammable liquids,
gases more asphyxiating, &c.
Discouraged by our ingratitude,
German science has given up work
ing for our happiness, it is working
now for itself. Its great business
now IS to keep itself up and to sup
! ply what it's great factories lack.
The object with which it is pre-
occupied is to find the "ersatz'-
substitute everything meat
for butter, for fat, for Kerosene, for
: metal. There isn't a professor who
isn't trying to discern or invent an
"ersatz". In fact "ersatz" is the
word as characteristic of Germany
l as "goddam" was, according to Fig
!. aro, the word among Englishmen.
: The euphorbia or spurge is a shrub
e which till now has been only used as
s, a drastic purgative or a counter-ir;
: ritant or in veterinary medicine
-s Professor Schermesser (the name
n means "razor" by the way) has stat
), ed that by heating the sap Of this
i shrub a substance is obtained similar
to rubber, with which is also found
e fat quite like butter. There are also
n found certain poisonous substances
but then it is mere child's play fol
: chemists to separate the wheat from
n, the tares and the butter from the
= poison.
The harvest of rubber and butter
) from euphorbia has just begun but
e it will not be evident till next yeal
I. whether the process will be of com.
n mercial value or not. Mr.. Scher.
S messer however is very hopeful. He
: assures us that an acre of euphorbis
d will yield 40 lbs. Of rubber, 14O tx
$50 lbs Of butter.
5, Multiplying these figures by the
? area of the German empire there viii
l. be enough of purgatives wherewith tt
make all the rubber tires needed.
e Another professor, DR.. Liese O
Aix-la- -Chapelle, has devoted himself
'e to the study of the Jerusalem arti
20 choke.
3 This plant, which grows in South
4 ern Germany and especially in tn
ID Grand Duchy of Baden, furnishes :
l. tuber of which cattle are very fond
D. Mr.. Liese thinks his fellow-country
is men might find it useful food
g Il is called down there in Badil
ID "wild potato" and ground pear
s. names which indicate clearly enougl
m it's edible quality. "This quality
IS says the professor, resembles tha
n of starch and the taste recalls as
er paragus". :,
ly "Listen to my experiences with il
le Last April I bought ten tubers OF
n gardener for 40 pfennings (about 1
" conCS-lTduSldCO 1HCoC Ple@i'
10 ed in a corner remote from. the fam
Se ily garden, without fertili lizer. Al
though the plants reached a heioht Q
. 1 metre they didn't flower.
! The tubers. only reached averag
size and didn't attain full developmer
till winter set in. They were not IL
iured by heavy frosts which only gay
them the hardness of stone.
: Eight bushes out of ten produce
\ tubers an average of seven lbs. ea'
with which / made some culinary e.
n periments. Cooked over a slow fl
= in deep pan, they were done
IL eight minutes. Mixed with flour mas
Ia into balls and cooked in salted W
ter they had an exquisite flavor. G
up in slices and covered with vim
gar, I have no hesitation in sayil
that they compare favorably with t
best potato salad.
. kept 80 tubers for future pla1
ing. The Jerusalem artichoke she
NJ it's leaves early in october and
twigs are an excellent "ersatz"
firewood It's leaves are appreciat
by rabbits, sheep and goats and col
= well furnish an "ersatz" for gre
ne Whooping Cough
We One of the most successful pref