CHEMURGI

Te Awamutu Courier, Volume 59, Issue 4220, 6 December 1939, Page 5

CHEMURGI

SCIENCE v. SURPLUSES. THE FARMER’S NEW PARTNER. After the failure of costly methods of restoring prosperity to their country’s declining agricultural industries, a few visionary Americans began to realise that if their farming community was ever to be assisted from the slough of economic depression there must be collaboration between agriculture, science and industry. It was obvious to them, too, that if the industrialist wanted the farmer to be his customer he must likewise find a way to become the customer of the farmer, writes a San Francisco correspondent. With this thought in mind, Henry Ford and the late Francis P. Garvan were the hosts to over 300 leading agriculturalists, progressive industrialists and eminent scientists at a conference at Dearborn, Michigan, in 1935, and it was here that the National Farm Chemurgi Council came into being. The sole object of the council is the enlargement of the national farm income through the creation and expansion of markets for American farm products as industrial raw material, believing this to be a sound approach to increased national prosperity. As the farm is the primary source of America’s raw material wealth, general employment will be helped if a growing volume of products can be moved into channels of manufacture and commerce. The demand of the American farmer is for new and expanded markets in order to avoid overproduction and consequent low prices, and the council claims that farm chemurgi is the solution.

Chemurgi (pronounced Ke-Meir-jee) has been coined from the Egyptian “chemi,” the root of chemistry, and; the Greek word “ergon,” meaning work. Liberally translated, it means putting chemistry and related sciences to work in industry for the farmer, and indirectly for the good of society as a whole. PRACTICAL AIMS. The practical aims of the council are to find new uses for surplus farm products, new crops to supply existing (or new) needs’, in profitable uses for farm by-products, and the creation of wealth by a greater scientific knowledge of nature’s materials. Since its inception four years ago the chemurgi movement has attracted national interest, and the farm products of 40,000,000 acres are to-day being used by chemurgic manufacturers. Within the next ten years it is expected that the productive capacity of another 50,000,000 acres will be needed to meet the demand for industrial farm crops. Expansion of the paper manufacturing industry in the southern States and the new interest in research in all spheres of agriculture, industry and science, are evidence of the rapid advance of chemurgi. A few of the specific fields in which chemurgi research and enterprise have provided new markets for products of the soil may well be introduced by the Soy-bean. This crop, little known 25 years ago, reached in 1938 a production of 57,000,000 bushels, with scores of actual and potential uses. Commercial operations in the State of Mississippi alone indicate that the sweet potato, hitherto grow’n solely for table use, can yield high-quality starch and by-products. As starch to the value of £2,000,000 is to-day imported annually a profitable market awaits the American farmer.

In recent years the wood pulp industry from native pines in the southern States has expanded by more than £30,000,000, and the first southern newsprint mill is now operating in Texas. An official report shows that agricultural alcohol, if nationally used in a 10 per cent, blend motor fuel, would require an expansion of acreage, and further research is being undertaken. Pyrethrum, as a base for insecticide, is now grown successfully in parts of the United States, and it is claimed that this plant may replace imports of 13,000,000 lb. annually. One of the largest agricultural fields in which chemurgi can render practical aid to the farmer and the nation is that of cotton. The economic welfare of the southern States is bound up in the cotton industry, and with a surplus of 11,500,000 bales the industry is facing its greatest crisis. Chemurgi is working on this vital problem, and has developed a number of uses for cotton not generally identified with the plant. Most of the products made so far from cotton have come from the cotton linters or fuzz. They include barrels for fountain pens, paper, wiring insulation, phonograph records, plastic parts for automobiles, surgical dressings and low-grade yarns. Chemurgi chemists have also turned the hulls and oils of the cotton seed into shortening, margarine, salad dressing, medical preparations, cosmetics, soap and washing powder, candles, composition roofing, linoleum, oilcloth, insulating material, livestock feed, fertiliser and cotton rubber. FOSTERING RESEARCH. The National Farm Chemurgi Council does not maintain its own la-

boratories, but endeavours to activate research through existing facilities. These include universities, land grant colleges, agricultural experiment stations, departments of agriculture and commerce, and private and industrial laboratories. A definite outcome of the council’s educational work was the gift to the Michigan State college of a £lOO,OOO trust endowment fund. This gift is specific for research into new uses for farm crops. Local Chemurgi councils have beeji established in 28 States. The parent council, by means of educational programmes co-oper-ates in regional or State Chemurgi conferences among representatives of agriculture, industry and science. It is at these sessions that many of the vital and profitable research problems are first introduced, to be followed up by private or public support. GOVERNMENT INTEREST Great impetus was given the Chemurgic movement last year by the provision of four Government laboratories to be used to develop new uses for farm products. This is the first major effort by the U.S. Government to solve the problem of surpluses by research, and as each laboratory can spend up to £200,000 a year some interesting and valuable results may be expected. The honour of being the first American to conceive the practical part chemistry could play in agriculture is given to Dr William J. Hale, consultant chemist for a large Michigan chemical company. Realising the inevitability of a farm surplus. Dr Hale in 1926 began to write articles advancing the idea of Chemurgi, but it was not until May, 1935, that the first conference was held. To the chemist the world we live in is chemical, therefore it is necessary to understand it chemically. Thus Dr Hale contends that farming must become a chemical industry, that diversion of products along other than food channels offers the only hope for American agriculture.

“Here lies a new frontier to conquer, that challenges the genius of science, the courage of a private industry, and the productive capacity of agriculture,” Dr Hall wrote. Practical-minded Henry Ford, who was born 1 on a farm, is convinced that industry and agriculture are natural partners. American agriculture at present is suffering from a lack of market for its product, while industry is suffering from a lack of employment for its surplus men. Bringing them together, said the car manufacturer, will heal the ailment of them both. He sees the time when the farmer will not only raise raw materials for industry, but will do the initial processing on his farm. “Standing on both his feet—one foot on the soil for his livelihood, the other in industry for the cash he This,” he added, “is what I am workneeds, he will have a double security, ing for.”