The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1925-11-06
ORIGINAL RESEARCH

closely can we estimate the age of
the world by the length of time 1t
has taken the oceans to accumulate
their salt?"**
On the other hand the industrial
lists are working on such problems
as how to bleach collars in a laundry
without converting the cellulose in
to oxycellulose, thus preventing
them from becoming yellow and
brittle. Or how to make automobile
tires give another thousand miles,
or how to insure better flavor for
butter by improving and protecting
the bacterial cultures.
But these two branches are never
wholly separate and apart. The
pure scientist never knows when his
abstract work may find commercial
value, and the industrialist continu-
ally reaches out into the unknown,
for as one of them truthfully says:
"We should still be burning candles
if chemists and physicists had COM
bined their researches to improve
ment in materials and methods for
making. candles" Instead, they de-
veloped that light up there, and
they are still at it. That light is
far cheaper than candles, but 900
of the energy going into it is vast
ed as heat. Some day we shall have
cheap cold light. 1t can be made
today, but at too great a cost.
In either the case of the pure
scientist or the industrial worker,
the methods are much the same.
An absolutely open mind is neces-
sary Going into an experiment
with prejudiced mind. or mind
already made up is almost surely
fatal. Not thing can be taken
for granted, nor overlooked. Every
unexplained happening must be i'm
mediately investigated, or noted for
future, study. In many cases, be-
fore conclusive results can be had,
even the necessary tools and APP
paratus must be invented and con-
structed.
Nor do things always turn out as
expected. There are many surprises.
In 1912 two chemists had been
working for s weeks trying to get
phenol Ordinary carbolic acid,
which is the source of many valu-
able products) out of some Ameri-
can coal tars. Scotch blast furnace
tars would yield it, but for some un-
known reason the American tars
would not. In one of the many ex-
periments some small white crystals
were noted on the walls of test
tube. They proved to be malic
acid. This probably means little to
you, but it is the acid found in
apples and some other fruits. 1t is
probable that previous to that time
there never had been an ounce OF
this substance in existance, and il
was worth more than its weight in
gold. Today you get it at every
soda fountain, masquerading as all
sorts of flayors. Perfectly harm
less, good all the year, and much
cheaper than natural fruit juice.
These men did not find what they
were after at that time, but che
surprise was a valuable one. Per-
haps | ought to add that in 1916
they did succeed in their original
effort.
1t isn't always spectacular dis
coveries you see reported in the
newspapers that have most value.
For instance, in one of the univer-
sites a woman worker spent three
years working out the difference in
electrical potential between the yolk
and the white of a frogs egg.
Sounds foolish, doesn't it? Yet that
led to improvements in poultry
raising that have been worth mil
lions of dollars to farmers.
The work being done for agricul.
ture probably stands first in size
and Importance. 1t is carried on
not only by individuals, but by the
State Colleges and by the Depart.
ment of Agriculture at Washington
Hundreds of men are at this very
moment in all parts of the world
collecting seeds and plants, which
are sent here for trial and improve.
ment. The sweet corn | grow in
my garden at Rabbit, for example
is called Malakhoff. 1t originated
in Siberia, was brought to South
Dakota by a Norwegian scout, was
there improved and standardized. II
is at least ten days earlier than
Golden Bantam, is as good on the
table, and / h the last dozen ears
for dinner Monday night, October
18th. Quite a desirable product for
this climate.
California grows figs and dates.
The early results on imported plants
gave no results. 1t was finally
worked out that certain insects
were necessary for fertilization and
maturing of the fruit. When the
insects were imported and turned
loose, the fruit came along as it
should.
Insects like lady bugs are also i'm
ported, which attack and control
other insect pests like Sam Jose
scale.
Wheat was found in China which
resists rust. 1t was brought over,
crossed with our more prolific vari-
cites, until a heavy-cropping rust
resisting kind could be offered the
farmer.
These are only a few illustrations
of what is going on in agriculture
and horticulture.
Next in immediate Importance,
suppose, is medical research. One
after another the plaques and
scourges of humanity yield to the
experimental method. tuberculosis,
typhus, small pox, yellow fever,
cholera, typhoid and bubonic plague
formerly swept away their millions,
but not a case need exist today.
Could anything have seemed more
improbable to your grandfather
than that yellow fever and malaria
exist only because certain mosqu;.
toes exist? To get yellow fever
you must be bitten by mosquito
which has already bitten a person
having the disease. Talk about
fairy tales! But it wasn't a fairy
tale to those brave Americans who
in the interests of research allowed
themselves to be bitten by purpose
ly infected mosquitoes. That sort