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Living on the Air 277 While the foregoing process has achieved a great vogue in Norway and other parts of the European continent, another process has been evolved, and has proved equally successful. This is the invention of a German investigator, Professor Franke. This method differs from that perfected by Birkeland and Eyde, in that red-hot calcium carbide, which itself is a pro- duct of the electric furnace, is used. As the air is passed over this material the nitrogen becomes absorbed, forming what is known as calcium cyana- mide. It is a more direct process, while when the fertiliser is distributed over the land, it undergoes slower decomposition by the moisture to sink into the soil to furnish the roots of the plants with the vital food. Calcium cyanamide has proved to be comparable with the sulphate of ammonia derived from our gas-works in plant-feeding qualities, and is exten- sively used in Germany for nourishing the soil. Indeed, in the latter country, enormous works are being laid out for rendering the country independent of Chile, for whose nitrate Germany has been a big customer in past years. Whether such a result will be achieved remains to be seen—the market prices of the respective commodities settles this issue—but there are vast deposits of lignite, generally regarded as an uncommercial fuel, which, it is maintained, can be used for the extensive generation of the necessary electric current at a low figure. But such a method of seconding the resources of Nature cannot compare with water-power. More- over, success is not entirely dependent upon the latter consideration. It is equally vital that the limestone