The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-10-21
Utilization Of indiana Corn.

corn, is becoming an enormous produce
inn1any countries, but more especially in
the United States, and the great difficulty
is to know to what useful purposes to ap-
ply the various portions of the plant
Some of the attempts made, more or less
successfully, may be worth abiding to
for the information of those specially in
terested. The census of 1870 returned the
crop of Jndian-cor in the United States
at 44O, 100000 bushels, but the agricultural
returns Of year or two ago stated the
yield to be over 100000, 600 bushels
Mr.. Packenham, British Secretary of lie.
cation, in his report on the commerce of
the United States for 1878, observes that
between the total consumption and the
total exports as compared with the yield
given in the official returns there is sur
plus of nearly 6G4, 100000 bushels Of
cereal products. Some of this aggregate
is doubtless utilized, but there is no data
or returns anywhere to show it. Inquiry
from season to season only ELECTS the re-
ply that when not burned it is for the
most part applied to some inferior pur-
pose or used for manure. Now such
waste as this, which is continually in
creasing with extended cultivation and
absence of cheap facilities of transport, is
lamentable. Our consumption here of
maize, though large, is never likely to
increase greatly, and there is the compe-
tition Of other corn. growing countries in
such as Russia and the Lower Danube
and Turkey Gncluding Moldavia and
Wallachia). Any subsidiary uses that
can be found are therefore beneficial and
deserve notice. The envelopes of the
grain cob 0he sheathing leaves inclosing
the head of corn) are largely used for
packing oranges and cigars and for stuff.
ing mattresses and palliasses. They
should first be spread on an airy floor for
few days to dry before they are put into
the ticks. In New South Wales very
good mats are made of it. Paper and
fabrics have also been made of these
leaves extensively in Austria, and the yield
from these is 30 per cent. of fiber, 10 of
gluten and 60 Of dough of a nutritive
character. Other useful products than
the grain and its leafy covering have been
obtained from the maize; sugar and mo-
lasses have been procured from the stalk.
The grain is largely used for distillation.
A bushel of corn gives over pint of oil,
which is easily purified and burns with a
clear, bright flame. At distillery in the
vicinity Of Lake Ontario oil is extracted
at the rate of sixteen gallons from 100
bushels Of Indian corn, leaving the re-
naming portion of the corn more
valuable and in better condition
for distillation than before the oil
was extracted. 1t has been found that
fifty-six pounds of Indian corn manufact-
ured into grape sugar produces thirty
eight pounds, and that two pounds of
this grape sugar used in brewing produces
one pound of saccharine in solution, so
that one bushel of Indian corn used in the
form of grape sugar produces an extract
of nineteen pounds gravity The extract
obtained from Indian corn, properly pre-
pared, registers on the saccharometer
aboutthe same as good malt, and for this
reason has found more favor than many
other cereals; but, although this is the
case from the fact that the extract is not a
pure saccharine one as procured from
malt, it is unavailable in brewing to a
larger extent than from 80 to 40 per cent,
and even not to this extent in summer
time. The cob on which the seed or grain
is ranged is used for various purposes in
North America. It forms ready stopper
for bottles. Ground into meal it has in
some instances been made into bread, and
farina has been obtained from it in Aus
tria, and it is an excellent food for dairy
cows. A farmer in Ohio found by COM
parative trials that it was cheaper and
more efficacious than other food. He
tried corn, oats and rye, and gave Sd.
worth per day to cow for a week. She
yielded on this food 1873 pounds of milk,
making six and three-quarter pounds of
butter. He then fed her with Sd. worth
of cob meal per day for week. She gave
1919 pounds Of milk, making seven
pounds seven ounces of butter. He then
tried the cob-meal scalded for week; the
cow gave 1864 pounds of milk, yielding
six pounds six ounces of butter. Maize
cobs have recently been extensively used
for fire-lighters. They are first stepped in
hot water containing 2 per cent. of salt
peter, and after being dried at high
temperature are saturated with so per
cent. of resincus matter. These lighters,
which are sold at from los. to 16s the
thousand, are employed with advantage
and economy in private houses ana for
lighting furnaces. By others the cobs are
immersed in mixture of sixty parts of
melted resin and forty parts of tar, after
which they are taken out and allowed to
dry. They are then subjected to second
operation, which consists in spreading
them out on metallic plate heated to 212
degrees Fahrenheit. They are finally as
sorted according to size and tied up in
bundles and sold at the rate Of three or
four for halfpenny. The establishment
in Paris Ua Societe DIES Allumettes Ian.
daises) for manufacturing them employs
thirty workmen and effects sales to the
amount of e, 900 annually.