December 21, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



611 



any myths about it, and this is the more re- 

 markable because primitive races, as a rule, re- 

 tain some shadowy recollection or myths of 

 antecedent peoples for a great many centuries. 

 Nowhere else in South America has there been 

 the slightest trace discovered of a culture re- 

 sembling this, or of several cultures, and it is 

 very unfortunate that just now there does 

 not seem to be any material at hand to solve 

 the mystery. These colossal funeral jars are 

 the most important features of this part of 

 the exhibit. Some of them are large enough 

 to admit two entire bodies seated side by 

 side. 



On the other side of the room in which 

 this ancient pottery is shown Dr. Farabee 

 has installed a great collection of several 

 hundred pieces of the Conebo pottery. This 

 is entirely modern and is the most striking 

 pottery of the kind to be found anywhere in 

 the world, and in fact only a few specimens 

 of the smaller kind are to be found in any 

 museum. About half a dozen of these jars 

 are four feet high and about the same diam- 

 eter, but resting on a very small base and 

 having the general appearance of an in- 

 verted, truncated cone. They will hold sev- 

 eral barrels each and are used by the natives 

 to hold the beer, which they greatly enjoy. 



THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRIES OF THE UNITED 

 STATES 



The annual report of Franklin K. Lane, 

 Secretary of the Interior, gives the data on the 

 growth of the chemical industries in the 

 United Siiates since 1914. Not only have 

 factories sprung up to manufacture products 

 formerly imported but great expansion has 

 taken place to supply the increased demand for 

 all chemical products. The country now 

 manufactures practically everything required 

 along chemical lines. 



The increase in capital invested in chemical 

 industries was, in 1915, $65,565,000; in 1916, 

 $99,244,000; and up to September, 1917, $65,- 

 861,000 over the preceding year. New chem- 

 ical industries are now being opened up at an 

 unprecedented rate, owing to war needs and 

 the energy of American chemists and physi- 

 cists. 



Before the war 90 per cent, of the artificial 

 colors and dyes were imported, five or six con- 

 cerns with 400 operatives producing 3,300 short 

 tons per year. Now there are over 90 enter- 

 prises, each making special colors, and 100 

 concerns making crudes and intermediates. 



Sulphuric acid, the chemical barometer, has 

 doubled in production. In 1916, 6,250,000 tons 

 of 50° Be. were produced. The estimate for 



1917 is much greater, and the production for 



1918 will again greatly increase. 

 By-product coking doubled its capacity in 



the last three years, yet in 1918 the United 

 States will make half her coke in beehive 

 ovens. Light oil, which contains the benzene 

 and toluene needed for explosives, jumped 

 from 7,500,000 gallons in 1914 to 60,000,000 

 gallons in 1917, and is again being largely 

 increased. Ammonia production has increased 

 100 per cent, in three years and the visible 

 supply is insufficient to meet demands. 



Gasoline production has increased from 35,- 

 000,000 to 70,000,000 barrels per annum since 

 1914. 



Potash importation from Germany was 

 stopped by the war, which has stimulated pro- 

 duction in this country. The production from 

 January to June, 1917, was 14,023 short tons 

 of potash. This is a small production, but 

 sodium salts have been substituted for almost 

 all purposes except agriculture. Shortage of 

 labor and coal is seriously interfering with the 

 potash-brine evaporation in Nebraska, which 

 was yielding about 90 tons per day. 



The production of explosives and consequent 

 consumption of nitric acid has increased 

 enormously. The nitric acid is still almost en- 

 tirely made from Chili saltpeter, but synthetic 

 nitrogen plants are under process of construc- 

 tion, and we have large quantities of coal-tar 

 ammonia which can be used for munitions if 

 necessary. 



Before the war 40,000 tons of barite were 

 imported from Germany for the manufacture 

 of lithopone. Now five companies are produc- 

 ing this article from deposits in Tennessee, 

 Kentucky, Virginia, and Missouri. 



The smelting of all metals, iron, zinc, 

 copper, antimony, tin, mercury, etc., and their 



