The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1892-07-29
Vacation NOtes.


manufacturing industries carried on in
this country, the products of which are
used in every family, the processes of
which the general consumers know but
very little about 1 refer to the manu-
facture of Starch and Glucose, from
which sugar is made. Great progress
has been made in the production of
these two articles of commerce within
the last ten or fifteen years. New ma
chinery has been invented, that has on
tiTely revolutionized the methods for
merly employed in their manufacture.
The writer had the pleasure a few weeks
ago of visiting the factories of Thomas
A. Jebb, and his son, VIM. T. Jebb.
These two plants are located at Wauke-
gan, ILL.,, and are the finest in the world.
They are built of Milwaukee brick, on
the shores of Lake Michigan under the
direct superintendent of their ex-
perienced owner, Mr.. Jebb, and are
most perfect in structure and in all their
appointments. The invention that has
brought this great industry to the front
10 this country, is due to the patience
aud perseverance of Mr.. T. A. Jebb, who
has put toward one-half a million dol
lars of his own money into this great,
enterprise. The experimenting has
Ueeu COulluucu lOI years, uuIl dJ le1lpIn
the most perfect results have been been
reached, and the manufacture of starch
and glucose, under Mr.. Jebbs invention,
has been rednced to most perfect
economic science. Mr. Jebb has long
been engaged in developing this great
national industry. He exported the
first barrel of glucose ever sent out of
this country. Our exports have now be-
come very extensive in this branch of
foreign trade.
wish to speak of only one invention
at this time, and of its influence in the
starch manufacture.
The great bulk of our starch product
is derived from corn. The kernel is
made up of three parasitic outside part
called the hull; the germ, or chit, as
sometimes called; and the remaining
starchy portion. In the starch manu-
facture the problem has always been,
how to get rid of the germ and the hull,
and leave a residum of starch only. The
old methods has been to heat the kernel
in large vats, and treat it with acids and
alkali, and let it stand in state of fer
mentation, until the germ matter was
consumed. This process took nearly a
month to turn a ton of corn into starch.
After the germ was rotted by its long
chemical process, then it had to be sub
jected to various siftings and washings
to purify it and separate it from the hull.
By the ingenious machine of Mr.. Jebb,
the hull and germ of the kernel are
eliminated from the starchy portion by
a mechanical process, without suffering
the pulp to sour, and without subjecting
it to strong chemical acids. The pro,
duct comes from the vat clean and
sweet, and in three days after the corn
is taken into the mill, it is turned into
beautiful white starch, boxed and ready
| for the market.
The saving in this process is also an
item of great Importance. The germ
and the hull are taken off sweet, and as
they contain the nitrogen and very nu-
tritious portion of the kernel, they are
ground up for feed. and are found to be
most excellent for mich cows, increas-
ing both quantity and quality of milk.
This food contains also the properties
from which bone is made, and must be
very valuable IN the growth of young
stock.
Perhaps a word ought to be said on
| the quality of this starch, as compared
with that made by the old process.
| 1t has long been understood that starch
ed clothes do not wear as those fabrics,
made from the same material; but
which require no starch. The reason is
plain. The starch rots the fibre, and il
does this because of acids that it con.
tains, which have not been eliminated by
the washing processes. 1t is evident
that that starch must contain less chemi,
Gals, which has been produced, without
being subjected to such strong chemical
action. NJ. L. SEVERANCE.