TOMATOES FROM THE SUN 

A FEW DECADES AGO PEACE AND TRANQUILITY REIGNED IN THE IVORY TOWERS OF WINDSOR, OSHAWA AND DETROIT AS CANADIAN AND AMERICAN CAR MANUFACTURERS RULED THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD.

ANY REMARKS CONCERNING THE DISTANT THREAT OF VEHICLE SUPREMACY EMANATING FROM THE FAR EAST WERE CONSISTANTLY DEROGATORY. THAT WORLD HAS PAID THE PRICE FOR ARROGANCE AND NON-OBSERVANCE.

TODAY IN THE GRAIN AND VEGETABLE FIELDS AND ORCHARDS OF THOSE SAME COUNTRIES LITTLE THOUGHT IS GIVEN TO THE POSSIBILITY THAT TOTALLY NEW METHODS OF CREATING FOOD MAY EXIST AND THAT SUCH "CROPS" MAY MAKE TOTALLY OBSOLETE OUR PRESENT METHODS OF FOOD PRODUCTION.

FOR THOSE WHO TRY AND WATCH NEW DEVELOPMENTS AND SPOT EMERGING TRENDS AS A METHOD OF ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE, A SENSE OF DE JA VU, AT LEAST TO THIS OBSERVOR, IS NOTED IN THE FIELD OF WHAT, IN THE FADING INDUSTRIAL AGE USED TO BE CALLED AGRICULTURE.

JUST ONE OF THE RECENT DEVELOPMENTS BY THE JAPANESE IS A NEW METHOD FOR GROWING TOMATOES, AEROPONICALLY. NO SOIL, NOT EVEN WATER IN THE SENSE OF HYDROPONIC AGRICULTURE. INSIDE AND IN THE SHADE. AND PRODUCING 13,000 TOMATOES FROM A SINGLE SEED. A SEED NOT EVEN GENETICALLY ALTERED !!

I WITNESSED, OVER A SIX MONTH PERIOD, THE GROWTH OF SUCH A PLANT IN JAPAN TWO YEARS AGO. IT EVENTUALLY REACHED A HEIGHT OF 30 FEET AND WAS 60 FEET ACROSS HANGING ON AN EXTENSIVE TRELLIS SYSTEM.

THE CONTROL OF SUCH A PLANT WAS COMPLETE. AS A BABY PLANT IT RECEIVED - AEROPONICALLY - "BABY FOOD". IN THE "GROWTH" STAGE IT RECEIVED THE APPROPRIATE FOOD FOR THAT PERIOD. "FLOWERING" FOOD FOLLOWED, THEN A DIET SUITABLE FOR OPTIMUM PRODUCTION OF THE FINISHED PRODUCT. THE DEGREE OF SWEETNESS WAS CONTROLLED AS WAS THE MOISTURE CONTENT. MORE JUICE IF THE TOMATO WAS DESTINED FOR JUICE, KETCHUP OR TOMATO SAUCE. LESS IF THE MARKET CALLED FOR TABLE USE.

HOW DO THEY DO THIS? ON THE ROOF OF THE BUILDING HOUSING THE PLANT WERE A SERIES OF WHAT LOOKED LIKE SATELLITE DISHES ENCLOSED IN A ACRYLIC BALL. THAT CONTAINER KEEPS OUT THE MAJORITY OF THE HARMFUL ULTRAVIOLET RAYS. THEY CALLED THEM "HIMAWARI", JAPANESE FOR "SUN- FLOWER". THEY CONTAINED A FRESNEL LENS THAT ALSO TRACKED THE SUN. NEARBY OTHER SOLAR COLLECTORS WERE CONVERTING SUNLIGHT INTO ELECTRICITY AND STORING IT IN A BATTERY BANK.

ON EACH SATELLITE DISH WERE A GREAT NUMBER OF SMALLER "DISHES", SLIGHTLY LARGER THAN THE SIZE OF YOUR CUPPED HAND. A FIBRE OPTIC LINK LEADING FROM THE BACK OF EACH SMALL "DISH" FED THE CAPTURED SUNLIGHT DOWN TO THE PLANT. EN ROUTE THE INFRA-RED AND ULTRA-VIOLET RAYS WERE EXTRACTED BY A PROCESS CALLED "LIGHT SHIFT". THE HEAT, IF NECESSARY IS USED TO HEAT THE BUILDING. THE "PURE" SUNLIGHT FED DIRECTLY TO THE PLANT ACCELERATED THE PHOTOSYNTHESIS PROCESS NECESSARY FOR GROWTH IN ALL VEGETABLE MATTER.

WHEN THE REAL SUN SET IN THE EVENING THE MASTER DISH (HIMIWARI) ROTATED BACK AUTOMATICALLY TO FACE THE EAST IN PREPARATION FOR CATCHING TOMORROW'S SUNLIGHT. AT THAT TIME THE BATTERIES THAT HAD STORED THE SURPLUS SUNLIGHT DURING THE DAY FROM THE ADDITIONAL SOLAR PANELS WERE TURNED ON - AUTOMATICALLY, OF COURSE - AND TOOK OVER FOR THE HOURS OF DARKNESS. THE PLANTS CONTINUED TO GROW. TWENTY FOUR HOURS A DAY.

THE JAPANESE ARE NOW TURNING THEIR SKILLS OF EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, ACQUIRED IN THE INORGANIC FIELDS OF AUTOMOTIVE, TELEVISION AND MICRO-CHIP PRODUCTION INTO THE FIELD OF FOOD PRODUCTION !!

THEY ARE DOING THE SAME WITH CUCUMBERS -7,000 FROM ONE SEED- AND MUSK MELONS, A TYPE OF CANTALOUPE - HUNDREDS FROM A SINGLE SEED. IT WILL NOT STOP THERE.. IN FUTURE COLUMNS I WILL EXPLAIN MY BELIEF THAT WITHIN THREE TO FIVE YEARS YOU WILL BE EATING SALMON AT YOUR FAVOURITE HIGH CLASS RESTAURANT. IT WILL BE BETTER QUALITY, AT LOWER PRICE THAN PRESENT "HOME CAUGHT 'WILD' FISH" AND IT WILL BE........ JAPANESE. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING. FOR MANY YEARS, IN MANY COUNTRIES MAN HAS ATTEMPTED, MOST UNSUCCESSFULLY, TO BREED LOBSTERS IN CAPTIVITY. LAST MONTH THEY SUCCEEDED. IN JAPAN !

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