3 88 



The Museum Gazette 



foregoing list exist in little more than name, and that their claim 

 to attract visitors is but small. The statistics of attendances 

 at others must be taken with caution. They are by no means 

 always comparable with one another. Not only do the modes 

 of counting vary, but the kinds of attraction offered differ 

 very much. Glasgow has been foremost in the provision of 

 legitimate Museum attractions, but the splendid totals of 

 attendances which her turntables record are, we believe, to 

 be discounted by the fact that they have been liberally supple- 

 mented by the introduction of excellent music. They may 

 almost rank as concert-rooms as well as museums. 



It is, we fear, more than possible that a majority of the 

 Museums named make but little pretension to being con- 

 sidered educational. They are of the old type — collections of 

 unclassified curiosities, without catalogues and for the most 

 part without labels. Such cannot, in the present day, be 

 expected to attract many visitors. We shall probably revert 

 to this topic before long. It is, indeed, our perennial theme. 



Can we Eat Air ? — That in order to live we must breathe 

 the air is well known. In breathing we take from the air 

 its oxygen, but we leave, as not being able to use it, by 

 far its larger constituent, nitrogen. Hopes are now raised 

 that we shall be able artificially to make this nitrogen eatable. 

 The process is a little roundabout, but none the less definite. 

 The air is to be resolved into its constituents and the nitrogen 

 forced to combine with lime. The resulting compound is 

 invaluable as a manure-food for wheat and other cereals, and 

 thus becomes a constituent of flour. These, stated briefly, are 

 the chief facts concerning a discovery now in process of being 

 realised, by which we shall be enabled to literally live on air. 

 Should it succeed the production of the most valuable food 

 may be increased enormously. It is needless to point out 

 that the achievement is not a novelty in plant life as regards 

 Nature's laboratory. 



