The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1936-08-04
Raising Crops Without Soil Seen
AS Way To Release Man From
Sell And Weather Limitations

excelsior and sawdust, or any suit
able litter to serve as q seed bed
for plants. Plants or seeds are
then placed in this bedding and
kept moist by water in the basins.
As the plants grow, the roots en-
ter the water into which has been
introduced the necessary plant
elements in the form OF a "fertil-
ling unit" - a glass cell which
permits ready solubility at regu-
lar rate.
These elements, eleven in num-
Der in most cases, are mixed in
definite ratios and become ditfused
in the water in such proportion
one to another as to insure a nor
nal nutrition, such as is provided
by a highly fertile soil.
In the case of crops grown out
of season, such as tomatoes in the
winter, the culture is IN green
houses and the water is heated to
proper temperature. AS regards
the latter, two general methods
have been developed - electric
heating and the combustion OF
natural gas and oil. But this artl-
fetal heating and greenhouse Sc
clusiOn are not required in plants
grown in season.
Crops of this nature may be
grown out of doors in any cline
where they normally grow. In To-
calities having a year-round equa-
HE climate, such as parts Of Arl-
IONA and California, they may be
grown at any time Of the year.
The conclusion one must reach
from this is that places having a
high and dry climate will become
the favored spots in the future for
this kind of farming.
As an example of what can be
accomplished, one may cite DIR,
Gericke's experiment with tomato
production. Practically every flow
er formed fruit and numerous
trusscs of the English greenhouse
tomato-Sutton's Best-contained
as many as Is to 25 tomatoes. TO
give specific figures in this expert
ment. in which were employed five
basins of 25 square feet each, the
Weld in the case of one basin to-
tailed as high as 301.3 pounds of
tomatoes. And the remaining to-
tails were in close proximity to
this figure. This experiment was
conducted in the university green
house with a controlled tempera-
ture ranging. from rs to IS de-
grees Fahrenheit.
A very large yield was also ex-
perienced in the case Of potatoes.
Computed on the basis of the ac-
tual area utilized in the expert
ment, the quantity produced
amounted to $500 bushels an
acre. tFrom 200 to 400 bushels is
termed a good yield on the ordi-
nary farm, while yield of 1000
bushels is considered exceptional
even under the best conditions.)
While such tremendous yields
cannot be expected to materialize
in large-scale production, it may
: be safely assumed that the yield
would, nevertheless, be manifold
greater than is true of the most
| fertile soil. 1t may be mentioned
here that the chemicals necessary
to produce the elements for this
plant growth may be had in abun-
dance, as they are the product of
I the heavy chemical industries and
ample natural resources are avail
able for their production.
DR.. Gericke attributes the amaz-
ing yields attained to the fact
that, in his process, plants are
much closer together than is true
in soil culture, and also to the fact
that water and mineral plant food
cannot become limiting factors, as
is the case in soil. The limiting
j factors are in the aerial environ
ment of plants. That is, in the
| light necessary for photosynthe-
sis.
/ DR.. Gericke, a tall, kindly man,
is very modest about his achieve
mcnts. He says the fundamentals
upon which his process is based
have been known to plant pSysi-
ology over period of II years.
Its application to the production
Of foodstuffs had evaded scientific
research, because of insufficient
data on which to base laboratory
experiments.
| He attributes his success to the
fact that he broke away in a meas