The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1878-08-23
Sugar From Corn.Stalks.

taking considerable interest in scientific
experiments now making looking To The
of sugar from the ordina.
ry corn-stalks. The production OF sue.
ar from sugar-cane grown in the United
States has been liable TO climatic re-.
strictions, and we have been compelled
to send abroad for nearly $l0O,O0O.OOO
worth Of crystallized saccharine matter.
per annum. The sugar-cane has both
decreased and deteriorated In quality.
and every year this tribute 70 sugar-pro-
ducing countries has been increasing.
Within the past year IL has been demon
strated satisfactorily that the ordinary
corn stalk, grown in every part Of the
United States, Is sugar plant only
slightly inferior 70 the sugar-cane Of
Louisiana, and contains 20 per cent
more saccharine juices than the beet
root from which so large part Of Eu.
rope is supplied with sugar. This
knowledge Is not exactly new, but il
has hitherto been believed that ii was
impossible 70 crystalline the juice Of the
corn-stalk, and until 1877 chemistry
presented no solution Of the difficulty.
In 1875 Mr.. 4. 5. Stewart, Of West.
moreland County, pennsylvania. a
farmer and gentleman Of scientific at
tainments, being a graduate Of Jefferson
College, had been making some expert
ments with sorghum. He had patch
Of evergreen corn, and going throughit
one morning in October, cutting some
stems. he noticed that the cuttings wele
quite juicy. Taking some OF the stalks
to his sugar mill, they yielded what
seemed to be as much juice, in propo..
tion to weight, as sugar-cane itself
Hisinterest was excited, and he treated
the extracted juice in the regular cane
process. In consequence Of the stalks
having been badly frost-bitten no proper
crystallization OF the juice took place
But the result was such as to cause him
to believe that il cheap process could
be invented, the obstacles in the way Of
making sugar from corn-stalks would
not be great. Becoming engaged in
business, Mr.. Stewart thought no more
Of the matter until in 1876, at the Gen.
tennial Exposition, he had his attention
called to the French process Of making
sugar from beet root. This revived his
interest in the corn-sugar question, and
he determined TO make further expert.
ments. During that year he tested half
a dozen varieties Of corn, in different
conditions. Chemical tests indicated
the value TO be as before estimated, and
il only remained to find a process u
crystallization. This Mr.. Stewart did
not find until late last year, but during
the time which has since elapsed he has
by repeated experiment demonstrated
ITS thorough practicability.
The process does away with the use
of vacuum apparatus and the very ex-
pensive machinery necessary in the
manufacture of beet-root sugar. Simply
described, Mr.. Stewards process j. As
follows: The stalks are cut after the
ear has arrived ut an age suitable for
drying or canning the full value Of the
corn crop being thus obtained entirely
independent OF the sugar growth--ana
sent 10 an ordinary crushing-mill. The
juice, placed in pans, after being heated
to 1870 degrees. is then heavily lined, 50
as to make it exceedingly alkaline
After being decanted and the precipiiat-
ed impurities removed, a liquid dioSide
Of sulphur is then introduced in sNil-
cient quantities to make the strip highly
acidulous. As impurities are precip-
itated, they continue to be removed,
and more dioxide Of sulphur added 70
keep the strip in its acidulous condition.
until the strip is reduced to the density
necessary to form sugar. II Is then
thrown into a cooler and allowed 70
crystalline, the draining being perform.
ed by centrifugal machine or other
modern process.
The color Of this sugar as it comes
from the draining machine is much bet
ter than that Of ordinary cane sugar, the
strip from which cane sugar Is made
being red, while the corn sugar is near
ly white. There are specimens Of these
corn sugars nj the Agricultural Depart
mcntwhich illustrate their equality with,
II not superiority over, the best cane
sugar. Gen. lie Due, the Commissioner,
says that he has no longer any doubt IS
. 70 the perfect feasibility Of manufactur'
ing sugar from corn at a price not %
exceed two and one half cents perpound.
He says that within the next six years
he hopes to see the entire import trade
in sugars disappear, and the demand
! supplied by our home production from
} the corn-stalk. Not only this, but he
expects TO see large export trade e.
tablshcd in this very article Of sugar
with European markets. The evidences
Of MIR. Stewards successes are 80 con'
, vincing that it is impossible to doubt
We can only speculate upon the pros
. pcrity which must be caused by the ai'
: dition within a few years II one nun
: dred millions Of dollars TO our nome
products, and the decrease Of our lli
ports by corresponding sum. LOOK
, ing at II at this day, in the early dawn
, Of It's introduction as one Of the greM
industries, it Is difficult TO predict Al 'Ov
benefits likely to accrue from such ~