CXX PROCEEDINGS. 



The term catalytic fertilizers has been applied to com- 

 pounds of manganese, boron, zinc, etc., which when added to 

 the soil in small doses have in cerain cases caused remarkable 

 yields of crops. 



The U. S. Dept. of Agriculture has given us a soil poison- 

 ing theory, finding di-hydroxystearic acid present in impover- 

 ished soils. Experiments at Rothampstead, England, have 

 failed to confirm this. All these problems are still under 

 investigation as are those of soil solutions, capillarity of soils, 

 water level, etc., in relation to plant growth. 



I have mentioned only a few of the subjects which the 

 biological chemist is investigating, for the field of research is 

 large indeed. 



To show the growth of this new science, I may mention 

 that Chemical Abstracts (published by American Chem. 

 Society) for August 1908 contained 52 references to articles 

 on biological chemistry whilst the August numbers for this 

 year contained over 600 abstracts. 



In the future the biochemist must simplify the language of 

 immunity, replacing the present word-pictures by definite 

 molecular formulae and equations. We look to him to isolate, 

 find the composition of and eventually synthesize the enzy- 

 mes, secretins, hormones, antitoxins and a host of other 

 bodies. He must find out nature's secret when she manu- 

 factures in her laboratory by means of enzyme and chloroph- 

 yll the countless substances found in plant life, and must 

 give us the enzyme or other catalyst to work at ordinary 

 temperatures and utilise the sun's radiations going to waste 

 around us. In short, he must solve the problem of photosyn- 

 thesis. Ciamician, in his address before the International 

 Congress of Applied Science last year, has given us a picture 

 of the future, thus: "On the arid lands there will spring up 

 industrial colonies without smoke and without smoke-stacks; 

 forests of glass tubes will extend over the plains and glass 

 buildings will rise every- where; inside of these will take place 



