Jan., 1915
T H E J O U R N A L OF I N D U S T R I A L A N D ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
better to use available phosphates more freely and potash, in many cases, less freely than we are doing. “I do not believe in the use of ground phosphates on our thin soils, deficient in humus, but let us stock up our land with available phosphates which we can get, in place of potash which we cannot get, and we may perhaps find a benefit to our farming from this ‘war measure.’ “DO not understand me to argue against the need and the use of a liberal amount of potash in our fertilizers. I am merely stating my conviction that, on land where potash has been freely used in the past, a one year’s lack of it will not seriously reduce the general crop production of the state, particularly if we will make increased use of available phosphate.” These, however, are technical questions which Dr. Wheeler, who is present and was formerly Director of the Rhode Island Experiment Station, is better able t o discuss than I am. I n closing let me say there is no fear of American agriculture breaking down this year because we cannot get potash. There is no fear of its breaking down in the Middle West for some time, if we do not get potash; but the South and East, unless we have potash within two or three years, will be put t o it t o raise their staple crops. Let us hope t h a t before that time arrives we shall have plenty of potash from other sources to compete with the great German deposits. THEAMERICAN AGRICULTURAL CHEMICAL COMPANY BOSTON
THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY By W. D. LIVERMORE
I cannot add anything to the knowledge of those present who are personally connected with the textile industry, but I shall try to speak in a general way, and in respect to the woolen or worsted industry only. The first effect was felt in the fear of scarcity of money with resulting fear, cancellation of orders, trade failures, etc., which might even lead to shutdowns in the textile industry. This phase, as the real situation developed quickly, passed and was followed immediately by some confidence that the business end of the textile industry in the woolen branch might not be injured at all by the war. About this time our anxieties regarding supplies that had usually been imported began to rise, and have not by any means been removed yet. This feature is, of course, the one t h a t appeals most sharply t o mill chemists, purchasing agents, etc. The chemist who had planned a nice vacation realized a chance to cancel it and a n astonishing change of spirit came over us in our relations with our friends in the dyestuff business. We used t o let them come to see us and were quite careful and even critical regarding just what brands of colors we could best use and what we ought to pay for them. In the twinkling of a n eye we experienced an undreamed of change of heart. The dealer whom we suspected of having a good stock of anything we thought we could use became dearer t p n a brother; we rushed out to see him about it, we wrote him-and we called him frequently on the telephone and told him what a lot of business he had always done with us. And I may say t h a t he treated us kindly-he didn’t remind us of all the knocks we had given his colors in the past, and he had the opportunity of a lifetime t o work off the second best colors he had had on hand for a nice long time. We took them gladly and besought him to find us some more. Seriously, however, I suppose that the mills of this country are far more frightened than really hurt, but what the future holds we can hardly predict. We hear very many stories of four and five times the normal price being paid freely for dyestuffs and chemicals and no doubt I think they are these stories have a basis of fact-nevertheless, largely comparable to the case of the wealthy party who pays 840.00 for a pair of $z.oo seats t o the Yale-Harvard Football
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Undoubtedly he pays it, but he sits along with some who paid $2.00 each and who do not receive special mention in the newspapers. If colors are going to come to us via Denmark, Holland and Italy, as we hope with considerable reason, we may be troubled with nothing worse than a moderate increase in cost and a necessity for carefully looking ahead and getting our supplies for a period further in advance than has been our custom, and for avoidance of exceptional dyestuffs which are not staple even in ordinary conditions. The consumption of the United States is in the neighborhood of 15 per cent of the total production of dyestuffs in Germany. If we can get from Germany 15 per cent of their normal annual production we can take care of ourselves quite comfortably. I n support of a hope that we can do this it is easy to remember that Germany will not export any color or raw material for color in such a way that it can be obtained by the countries now hostile and t h a t these countries include practically all the important textile producers outside Germany, Austria and Italy, and also that Austria and Germany :re likely t o be much too busy with the war to use their full normal.amounts of color themselves. The normal stock of colors produc;ed in advance of requirement will, therefore, last us quite a long-time if we can get it over here. As to present production in Germany I do not believe we have very reliable information. I have heard statements running from a present production of 40 per cent of normal in some places down to the closing of the factory and its use as a hospital in others. It is also worth notice t h a t those organic raw materials which can be converted into high explosives and other war material will be so used and wholly removed from consideration as far as our affairs go. Some color will be obtainable from Switzerland. England, which usually furnishes a modest percentage of our supply, has practically dropped out of our market-they themselves need more than they have. Should the worst happen and Germany be entirely closed to us by the course of war, some of the older wood colors like Logwood, Fustic and the Tannins will have a sustained boom. Whether these will be enough to go around will then be a n interesting question, but I do not think we want t o cross this bridge till we get to it. As for the proposals for development of our own dyestuff manufactories I think something helpful will be done-but t h a t it will in any very large way fill the gap I can see no great probability. It takes too large an investment, too much technical skill and experience, and even more important, too long a time. As for the textile industry itself, and apart from this consideration of supplies, it is worth while t o remember that no large amount of cloth is likely to be imported for some timecertainly not in the quantities which many of us feared as a result of the new tariff and in this way a t least we ought to benefit. For the first time in the experience of some of us we have heard talk of large orders of blankets and cloth, etc., from abroad. It may be talk only but at least it is very encouraging to those of us who think this means that we shall a t any rate have the opportunity to supply our own people with their textiles for the present and t h a t our severest competitors will be among our own manufacturers. game.
30,000 people
AMERICAN WOOLEN COMPANY LAWREKCE, MASS.
THE DRUG TRADE By C. A. WEST
I wish to speak, not on the trade of dyestuffs or chemicals used in the textile industries, but more particularly on the chemicals used in the arts and in the manufacture of medicines, and I think the general opinion is that there never was such a n op-
