Fortunes in Agriculture 213 



The Russians report that butylene gas has a stimulating 

 effect on the growth of fruit trees. They enclose the trees in 

 a tent for two weeks before the normal or desired leafing, and 

 pass butylene gas into the tents for a period of one or two 

 hours. Other experiments in the United States show that pota- 

 toes will grow twice as fast and increase their yield if treated 

 with propylene, a petroleum by-product. 



One of the most powerful growth-promoting substances is 

 colchicine, a poisonous drug extracted from the roots of the 

 ordinary autumn crocus. It acts on the chromosomes of seeds 

 to create new varieties of giant plants. Soon you will be able 

 to have blackberries, strawberries, tomatoes, radishes, and 

 other fruits and vegetables two or three times the size of any 

 present species. Giant garden flowers also will be available. 

 Tobacco, cotton, sugar cane, and many other plants which 

 furnish the farmer most of his income will be larger, of better 

 quality, and more resistant to disease. 



Meteorologists are busy today telling Allied bombers when 

 the weather will be right to go out and dump a load of bombs 

 on German war plants. Important gains have been made in 

 the long-term prediction of weather. All this knowledge will 

 be on hand in the future to tell the farmer when to plant crops 

 and when to expect trouble. Scientists are determined to "do 

 something" about the weather, and this adds up to good news 

 for the farmer. 



Making the Farm More Livable 



We have talked a lot about how abundant supplies of low- 

 cost light metals, alloy steels, and plastics will revolutionize 

 the construction of homes, airplanes, automobiles, and other 

 postwar products. These materials will make better agricul- 

 tural machinery, which can be sold at low prices and will be 

 easier to keep in repair. This will mean that the farmer can 



