CHEMISTRY AND THE FOOD PROBLEM.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 70, 23 March 1907, Page 14

CHEMISTRY AND THE FOOD PROBLEM.

"Living on air" hps for a long time been regarded as an equivalent to starvation, but tho phrase takes on a new meaning in the light of a startling scientific discovery announced recently by the Daily Chronicle, and cabled throughout the world. Research work by Sir William Crookes, . the famous chsmist, is largely responsible for the notable achievement, which consists of a process of extracting nitric acid from the atmosphere, in ouch a way aa-to make it available for industrial and agricultural purposes. Just how this should solve the problem 1 of tho world's food supply is not immediately clear to the unscientific mind. Yet this is tho claim made for the discovery. Sir William Crookes pointed out. in his presidential address before the British Association in 1898, .that_ the tendency of tho earth's population is to outstrip the production of wheat — in short, that the demand 'is in danger of exceeding the supply. Only one thing apparently, could avert calamity — the laboratory irust com3 to the service of man, and increase the fertility of the land, so that it may supply our needs. SAVING THE WHEAT/EIELDS. Wheat is a crop demanding" a large supply of nitrogen, in the form of nitric" acid, and at present this is af^ forded by the nitrate beds of South America. But before -many years these beds will be exhausted, "And the pro- 1 blem is whore to find another /'source forj this indispensable fertiliser of the world's whcatfields. To get this in large qantitie3 would solve the difficulty of raising enough wheat. As long ago as 1C92 Sir William Crookes had proved that nitric acid could bo obtained from the. atmosphere, and experiments woro set on foot to discover a method of obtaining it at a cheap rate. For six yoars experiments have been going forward at Fribourg, nnd Sir William Crookes has been kept constantly informod of their progress. Recently ho paid a visit to the sceno of operations, and it is now announced that ( the artificial production of nitric acid,' in largo qantities, at a cheap rate, is an accomplished fact. To quote Sir William Crookes, this "may lead to the development of ' a mighty industry destined to solvo the great food proiilem." , Widespread interest has been aroused and soveral of the leading scientists of the continent regard it as of tho greatest importance Professor Fischer, head of the Royal Chemical Laboratory in Berlin, regards the discovery as likely to solve a problem which has been occupying the attention of men of science for a long time. The head of the laboratory of the Gorman Royal Agricultural College was also deeply interested. He considered tho matter of incalculable value from tho agriculturist's point of view, and stated that if Sir William Crookes has proved successful his discovery will mark an epoch in scientific annals. WILL THE AIR SUFFER. •Reassurance on an important pbint was given by Professor J. J. Thompson, the eminent phsyicist, who received ono of the Nobel prizes this year. Askod whether the extraction of nitrogen from the air on a largo scale would not tend to doplete tho atmosphere to such a degreo as to bo a menace to mankind, tho professor stated that he apprehended no danger from this source "I think," he remarked, "that there would be enough air to go oh with for a long time." ' Dr. Samuel Smiles, assistant professor of chemistry, University College, London, says: — "If we can produce nitric acid nearer homo, and produce it cheaply — for that is importanti-so much tho better for our farmers. Waste land can bo brought into use, too, and that is very important in relation to the food supply of tho future. If we were to consider this question .of food supply from tho historical standpoint wo would find that it was tho exhaustion of supplies which led to tho transformation of Central Asia into a desert, and so to the westward tho migration of the ancient peoples. It is plain, therefore, that the quostion of the supply of nitric acid is of immenso importance."