Omaha daily bee., 1899-07-09

ever constructed in this country, which the
Cramps have undertaken to build for the
American line, will probably have the corn
pith packing to add to their bouyancy and
safety. Mr.. Cramp himself is an enthusiast
tic believer in the new device.
Other Uses Found.
In trying to find a product that would an
swer the needs of the navy Mr.. Marsden UNI
Willingly stumbled upon a product that is
useful in a greater variety of ways than any
other growth of our fields. Since the manu-
facture of cellulose for the use of the navy
two years ago it has been applied 10 a dozen
other practical uses, which ultimately will
utilize the whole product of our cornfelds.
II Is estimated that 100, 900, 900 tons of corn
stalks so to waste every year new. When
this amount is all utilized it will add $780,
900, 900 to the yearly resources of Ameri-
can farmers and will increase the annual
business of the country by considerably more
than 81, 900, GOO, geo.
The absorbent qualities which make the
corn pith c~ellulose so valuable as a packing
for war ships also makes it the cheapest
and most useful material for the manufac-
ture of smokeless powder. All such powders
are made by dissolving guncotton and nitro
glycerine in a solvent and then mixing them.
Corn pith makes a cheap and successful gun
cotton and a company has recently been
formed, with a capital OF SO, 900, 900, 10
manufacture this form of powder. The COM
pany's works are located in New Jersey and
are now under operation on government
contracts.
1t is not alone 10 warlike uses that the
humble cornstalk is to be devoted. The
absorbent pith makes the best sort of a bath
brush. It has also been used as a packing
for Gtnan M DiDpg hpiIpre rnfripar1fOTE and
car journals. The fbrous portion Of the
stalk is manufactured into paper and paper
boxes and the residue. the leaves and the
outside stalks, are chopped up into a pre-
pared food for horses and cattle that has
been adopted for the cavalry and artillery
of the United States army. All this reads
like the claims of a patent medicine cure
all, but they have all been tried and proved
by practical experience. These uses and
others which will probably be discovered
raise the maize plant from the position of a
nuisance to the farmer to one of proud i'm
p~ortance as a source of revenue.
Factories Multiply.
Three factories now in operation are en-
ployed in turning out the various products
mentioned above. The largest OF them is at
Greensboro, Ky. The others are at Rock
ford, H.. and Chester, Pa. Later in the
season another factory for the manufacture
Of the navy product is TO be opened near
Newport News. Va.
Since the whole process Of this manufac-
ture is a new one. the machinery by which
it is carried on had to be especially devised.
The problems which it presented baffied the
inventor for some time. but he has at length
succeeded in perfecting machinery which
makes il possible to turn out the finished
products on a large scale.
To be useful for manufacturing purposes
the stalks must be we'll ripened before cut
ting and must be thoroughly cured. After
stripping off the ears the farmer hauls the
stalks TO the factory, where they are paid
for at the rate OF 80 per ton.
The piles of stalks. Just as they come to
the factory, are fed into big cutting ma
chimes. which chop them into short lengths.
Elevating shafts carry them to the roof Of
the factory, where they pass over great
screens with fans TO separate the leaves and
lighter parts.
An ingenious machine, with upright
knives, strips OFF the 'shiye," the hard outer
portion of the stalk and the tough ibers that
run lengthwise OF the stem. Only the soft
inner portion is left.
From the stripping machines the whole
mass falls upon long travelling strips of
canvas. The elastic nature of the pith causes
It to bound up and down on the canvas
until it falls or into a receptacle prepared
for It. The chopped up stalks ana leaves
go on to the end OF the travelling curtains,
where they are dumped into cribs.
The pith goes next TO the compressor,
where It Is packed TO about one-fourth its
former bulk. Even then il is SO light that
only about three tons can be packed into an
ordinary freight car. The other products
ars carried away for mixture into the pre-
pared food In which they are used.
For a new industry the cornsta'k business
is remarkably active. BY the end Of a de-
cade the statistics OF the cornstalk Industry
will probably be counted in millions, and its
influence in adding TO the prosperity OF the
great corn belt should DO very marked.