This brings me back to my original starting point, and, therefore. to repeat my statement regarding the utilization of subterranean or volcanic steam. Progress consists essentially in fostering economy. Economy of power and of prime matters must be the aim of modern industry and, therefore, in making use of subterranean energies, the enterprising engineer should, according to my opinion, carefully study and not overlook any of the possibilities contained in schemes of this nature. Of course, all considerations must be very carefully taken into account and local conditions may very considerably influence development schemes. Still, the fact remains that, by using volcanic steam, we are handling, besides water, other substances which might be usefully employed. It is, therefore, the duty of the engineer to consider the position with all possible care and to call the expert chemist to collaborate. Chemistry has become the leading science in our civilized world: physics and engineering are her allies. Here we have one of the most evident instances in which the collaboration of the engineer with the chemist is necessary: I might indeed add that it is indispensable. I do not delude myself as to the difficulties, always considerable and sometimes very great, which have to be overcome in order to be able to harness the most tractable of the manifestations of old Pluto's activity, nor do I deny that the pardonable optimism of an old pioneer may induce me, perhaps, to hope for too much. Still I repeat once again my firm faith in this form of utilization of natural energies which lies before us in the future. Finds X-Raying Seeds Improves Crop Yield. X-ray treatment of seeds, hitherto regarded as invariably harmful in its effects, is now declared beneficial by Dr. M. Jacobson, a plant physiologist of Camden, N. J., who claims that be has obtained greatly increased yields from seeds subjected to mild doses of "soft" X-rays. The difficulty with the earlier experiments, he states, has been that the rays were used in the harmful "hard" wave-lengths, or that the exposure w a s continued too long. In one series of experiments which he reports, potted plants grown from rayed seeds grew faster and more vigorously than those grown from unrayed seeds, they flowered and fruited from one to three weeks earlier, and their yield was from 15 to 170 per cent greater, the fruits being always more numerous and often larger individually. Seeds were not the only things that benefitted by X-ray treatment Dr. Jacobson says. Potatoes raised from treated tubers gave, in three separate field tests, increases in crops of 35, 107, and 170 per cent over plantings of untreated tubers. Further tests showed that light has an unfavorable effect on X-rayed tubers and bulbs, which the experimenter states should be protected from the sun after raying if large increases in yield are to be obtained. Time, however, seems to have little effect in diminishing the effect of the raying, for seeds and potato tubers kept far as much as three months after treatment yielded almost as well as did those planted immediately after exposure to the rays.-Science Service
