I forget where I heard this story. When the French first brought nitrate fertilizer to their colonies, everyone was overjoyed; this was a new technology with th

I forget where I heard this story. When the French first brought nitrate fertilizer to their colonies, everyone was overjoyed; this was a new technology with the capability to double crop yields. Next year when the French came back to take the natives' crops, they were confused to find the same yields as previous years. Had the new fertilizer failed? The natives explained that the nitrate fertilizer had revolutionized their way of life, and that they could now produce the same output with half the effort. This new technology had entirely changed their world for the better. Of course, this isn't what the French had in mind.