| Show resources of nature offer Op opportunity opportune ty for unlimited 9 production in united states by WHEELER mcmillen mr mcmillen is president ol of tin the national farm chemurgic council which has as its objective the advancement of the industrial use of american farm products tIr rough applied science he explains below some of the principles of in relation to the future of the united states there is a single fact in science that has far reaching significance for the future of the united states I 1 refer to the fact that of the entire composition of nearly every plant growth whether it be a pumpkin an ear of corn or a walnut tree roughly 98 per cent of the substance is manufactured by nature from atmosphere mo sphere and moisture only about 2 per cent anthe average is actually extracted from the soil in other words the resources we say are derived from the soil are actually derived by the miraculous action of sunshine from the atmosphere and moisture within the borders of the united states may be found nearly every known combination of the attributes of plant growth of temperature of soil characteristics of rainfall and humidity of altitude and length or intensity of sunlight we have air and rain and sunshine available in illimitable and inexhaustible quantities the significance of this fact is that there need be absolutely no upper limit to the potential production of the united states except the limit imposed by human ignorance of how bow to take full advantage of the laws of nature these superabundant possibilities for the production of raw materials from air moisture sunshine and soil are unlike those of mineral production conceivably the stores of wealth nature had deposited underground may in some distant century become exhausted or become too inaccessible for economical use plant growth on the other hand is renewable usually annually with each cycle from seed to harvest within the twentieth century two important new tools have been developed for the utilization of our plant raw materials the art of the organic chemist a twentieth century art has added enormous importance to plant substances as industrial raw materials with this art crops need no longer be regarded merely as sources of food clothing and shelter the chemical industries take the crops for their cellulose proteins starches sugars and oils and convert these compounds into innumerable superior products for everyday every day use alongside the organic chemist is the plant geneticist with his art of improving plants for specific purposes he has made it possible for the first time lo 10 grow crops to industrial du specifications as is actually being done with cotton soybeans and other plants |
