Development of the Chemical Industry 15 



man nitrate plants for the purpose of learning the pro- 

 cess. Tlie commission went there, was shown the plants 

 at Oppau and Merseburg, were given every information 

 tlioy asked for, were given large quantities of the cata- 

 Ivser used bv the Germans, and returning to Muscle 

 Shoals, failed in setting the plant to work. Under these 

 conditions the War Department acceded to the request 

 of The American Institute of Chemical Engineers that a 

 paper be submitted describing the German and United 

 States synthetic ammonia process, hoping that the Mus- 

 cle Shoals plant could be put into operation by outside 

 assistance. The paper was presented and read at the 

 Detroit meeting in June, and was authorized for publi- 

 cation by the War Department. Shortly after, the per- 

 mission to publish was withdrawn upon demand of the 

 American patentees, and the paper was never published. 

 Meanwhile the Muscle Shoals plant is at rest, waiting for 

 the man who is to blow life into it and make it run. If 

 Mr. Ford obtains the lease it is sincerely to be hoped that 

 he will associate himself with chemists who will show 

 him the way. The farming population of our country 

 is most fortunate in having in the Department of Agri- 

 culture of the United States a splendid research labora- 

 tory to guide its work. 



It is a well-known fact that the unprecedented develop- 

 ment of chemical industry in Germany was largely due 

 to its research laboratories and to their relation to the 

 universities. At German universities the leading pro- 

 fessors are not overburdened with work and can devote 

 a large part of their time to solving questions of general 

 interest. In the United States the conditions are differ- 

 ent. Professors of universities are overworked and the 

 men who are best prepared for research are overbur- 

 dened with routine work. The consequence is that a 

 great many manufacturers are operating in the dark, 

 wasting money and time in their operations. 



Professor W. D. Bancroft in a recent article calls par- 

 ticular attention to the fact that, as far as can be learned, 



