The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1937-03-18
Che1nurgiC
Conference
To Be Held
Chemists and Big Business
Come To Aid of
Farmer.
MANY CROPS TO BE
USED BY INDUSTRY

SPOKANE. - Industry, already .
large user of the products and by
products of the farm and forest, will in
the not distant future consume as large
a proportion as is used for human con-
sumption, according to skilled engineers
and chemists who are increasingly busy
in research along this line.
"Chemurgic' is the term covering
their activities, or chemistry at work
for agriculture" and the Pacific North
west Farm Chemurgic Conference, to
be held in Spokane. March q and 70,
will discuss and report such activities
for the benefit of the business men,
agriculturists, and civic officials.
L. F. Livingston, manager OF the
Agricultural Extension Section OF the
&. l. Dupont Nemours and Company,
and one of the most informed men in
the country as to chemurgic activities,
will be one of the featured speakers.
Speaking of the demand for agri-
cultural and forest products, Mr.. Liv-
ingston said that the DUPONT company
in one year used. 93,O00,O 900 pounds of
wood pulp; 81, 293, 900 pounds of cotton
linters; 100000 pounds of vegetable
oils; 20,l56,000 pounds of corn products;
7,124,000 pounds of turpentine and
rosin.
In the manufacture of explosives
alone they used 100000 pounds of
wood Of various kinds. He estimated
that the explosives industry spent ST.
49l 900 for wood products last year.
In speaking Of woodflour, a forest
products item separate and distinct
from the wood pulps used in the manu-
facture of paper, he said that the nor
NAL consumption in the United States
Is about 10000, 900 pounds, Of which
about $50 is importend due to low inn
port prices Other competition for
wopdflour Ia to be found ID such pro-
ducts as ground rice hulls, ground april
cot pits and ground English walnut
shells
The foregoing figures present an inn
pressive total, yet they seem to give but
a foretaste Of what a chemically en-
gineered future holds in store for the
Northwest. Industries based ON the
chemical conversion of farm and forest
products are still in their infancy.
Chemists in their laboratories and other
scientists working out practical appli-
cations of chemical discoveries still
have chronological difficulties to over
come In making the fullest use of these
products. But almost daily some baf-
filing problem is solved, some new way
opened for the forward progress of the
industrial use of raw materials grown
on American soils.
Mr.. Livingston emphasized the i'm
portant point that the raw materials
used In these industries are perpetually
and capable OF adding to the
nations raw materials without irnpov-
arshing future generations as we do
when we use up such natural resources
as coal, metals, and oil
With respect to- the specific problems
Of the Northwest, he indicates that in
future developments, not only will the
timber wastes be reduced, but many
woods, previously thought to be of lit
tie value, will each have an important
destiny to fulfill Chemical and tech
biological research are already over
coming the difficulties presented by
their individual characteristics. These
forest crops are becoming of value to
the industry and to the nation at large
due to their ability to grow on land I'M
suited to other uses, forming there a
protective cover for soil, water and
game.
Industry, through chemistry is COM
ing to the aid of agriculture and lum-
bering. 1t is beginning to buy up
considerable portion of their SURPRISES.
increase their income and open new
opportunities, In the long run, chem
lists who provide new markets and help
the grower and the logger to increase
the fertility of the land offer a bright
err future for agriculture and numbering
than progress based solely on restricted
production to balance a restricted
demand
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