St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-02-06
Once Despised Cornstalk.
Science Has Found It To Be an Inn.
portant Product.

Science Has Found 1t To Be an Inn
portant Product.
Marvellous new uses for the corn
stalk, hitherto found to be of COM
paratively little value by even the
most economical OF farmers through
out the country, have recently been
discovered during series of chemi-
cal tests and experiments conducted
in q laboratory at Cramps ship
yard. The fact that the pith and
fiber Of cornstalks can be success
fully and profitably converted into
cellulose for perfecting tue arma-
ment OF ba:tleships, and fodder for
cattle has for some time heen made
known to the public through Mark
w. Mars6en, the discoverer of the
useful qualities Of what has long
been considered q waste product.
In pursuance Of his Investigations
At the Dramp laboratory, with the
staff OF four analytical chemists, he
has more recently found that corn
stalk products may also be EN-.
ployed in tue manufacture Of smoke.
less powder, lin0leum and paper.
The possibilities Of corn-pith
cellulose as lining for battleships,
to make them unsuitable, though .
comparatively recent discovery,
have not only been frequently de-
monstrated by the inventor, but
have been recognized BY the govern
ment, and the substance is now he
ing introduced in some Of the ves-
sels OF our navy. The preparation
of cattle food from cornstslks under
the Marsden process has been con-
Quoted for over a year At two big
plants in the West. but the manu-
facture Of smokeless powder and
linoleum has not yet been under
taken upon an extensive scale.
All the patents connected with
the utilization Ut the cornstalk are
at present controlled by the
Marsden Development Company, in
which Ed win II. Cramp, Henry w.
Cra,np, W. W. Gibbs, the inventor.
aud several others are interested.
This company owned the plant at
Greensboro, Ky which was recently
destroyed, aud is now being rebuilt,
rs we'll as another in process OF
construction at Rockford, lii. A
third is about to be established at
Peoria, Ill. A new company for
the manufacture of cattle food ex-
clusively, t. be called tile Marsden
Live Stock Food Company, is now
being organized.
Al the plants Of the developing
company now in operation the pith
and fiber Of the stalks are separated
BY grinding, aud while the former
Is turned into cellulOse, the latter
is reduced to fine drv meal. 1t
is claimed that rMtiOns for cattle
compounded With the new product
as base are eaten well, more easily
fed than other folders, and that
there Is less waste. while the food is
more digestible Than those it is ex-
pected to supplant.
Several interesting tests OF the
,>n,., n.Ntl., f.,nl I, ouo ponoet0v hoon
made at the Maryland Agriculture!
Station a report Of the results OF
which experiments is now in pro-
cess Of preparation. The food has
not been placed upon the market,
because the company has contracts
with cattle raisers to supply as
much as it can manufacture.
The utilization of the c0rnstalk
in the manufacture OF smOkeless
gunpowder has been perfected by
Mr.. Marsdcn within the past two
or three weeks. The process has,
OF course, been kept q close secret,
but the inventor and patentee claims
that the explosive is cleaner, safer
and more easily handled than ITS
rivals, ana that it can be manu-
featured at u much smaller cost.
What use will be made Of the
gunpowder patent has not vet been
stated, but the developing company
proposes to turn the process for
the making Of linoleum over to
some one exclusively engaged in
that business. Meanwhile the ex-
periments at the Cramp laboratory
are being continued, with q view to
discovering what further uses may
be made of the despised corn
stalk. The company contcmplates
the erection of five additional plants
during the coming year.
Carloads of food and clothing are