The sun., 1899-10-22
USES FOR CORN STALKS.
SCIENCE ADDS MILLIONS TO TIE
WEALTH or FARMERS.

Discoveries That Mako the stalk Rs Nalua-
bis ns the Grain--It Is Used to Protect
Warships. to Make Powder and TO Manu-
facture Paper-Incon,e of Farmers to BE
Vastly Increased by tho Discoveries.
Five years ago the farmer considered the value
Of his corn crop practically concluded with tho
husking Of the corn what was left worth
perhaps sixty cents an acre as fodder; rather
under that figure than over 1t as rule Science,
ever busily seeking uses for by-products, sought
TO make sugar and alcohol from the stalk Of the
corn, but unavailingly. Now, however, expert
ments along different lines have established the
value Of the by products Of the crop as prob
ably second TO agricultural product of a similar
nature grown in this country and has almost II
not quite doubled the receipts Of the corn growers
AS the stalk Is made practically as valuable as
the grain There Is now homo market where
the farmer can get from IS to SIS ton for corn
stalks that IL from SO to sl2 an acre for what has
hitherto brought him in sixty cents a, best The
American .ipriruliurdiis which treats of thisnew
industry in leading article declares II To be one
Of the most important departures in industrial
history. Ii gives the following list of what is
made from corn stalks:
l. Cellulose for packing coIerdams on battle
ships, this preventing them from sinking when
pierced by balls or shells
.. Pyroxylin varnish, liquid form OF cellu-
lose the uses OF which practically unlimited.
3 Cellulose used for nitrating purposes for
making smOkeess powder and other high eH-
plosiyes, for both small and great arms. as we'll
az purposes for which dynamite or all other ex
plosives are required in various forms and de
grees Of strength.
4. Ceulose for packing il being the most per
feet non conductor known against heat or eec-
trcity, jars or blows.
8. Paper pulp and various forms of paper made
therefron, both alone and mixed with other grades
OF paper stock.
8. Stock food made from fine ground outer
shells or shives OF corn stalks and also from the
nodes or joints The leaves and saSsels also fur
nish shredded OF baed fodder.
Z. Mixed feeds for stock, containing fne ground
shells shves as base, and in addition thereto
various heterogeneous meals and concentrated food
substances. or blood. molasses, disery and gu-
cose refuse, sugar beet pulp, apple pumace and
other by products.
8. Poultry foods Of two types. namely--typc l.
containing a dominant nirogenotis factor for
laying hens. and No ., containing a dominant
carbohydrate factor for fattening purposes
The stalk Of the maize plant. or American corn.
is made up as follows. on a basis Of 100 pounds
Of air dried stalks stripped of leaves and tassels:
20 pounds OF nodes or joints 20 pounds Of pith.
coarse and ine. and 81 pounds Of shells shives.
The nodes contain. on an average, 80 per cent
OF pure ceuose. the pith 36 per cent and the
shiyes 40 per cent. This corn piih celluiose is
oi 81 great value in naval warfare that Lewis
be Of much importance as the development
OF Harveyized armor and snokeess powder
Hohte'Tdnms ,;.h,'. along the side II Il vessel when
Of three feet will not leak when perforated with
shells or solid shot When the coferdam con
petely closes the hole made by the proiectie,
so that the water cannot pass through. Nat
urally some water must enter at the point of per.
foration, but owing to the great capacity Of the
Than twenty times It's own weight when not pressed
the water that first enters is at once absorbed,
This causes The pith which Is mois.ened TO swell
The Colum bis' New York and Olympia are
thus protected and many of the new warships
now under construction in this country. Russia.
England aud France are using the new material
ployed In the manufacture Of high explosives
IN ne corn pilh forms an excellent basis because
smoEeess powders and dsnamites are are now now made made
from this product which is said to be superior To
cotton lin in that al it Il is more easily ntra,sd and sesnsd
corn pth at present is found in the liquid form Of
the cellulYse known as pyroaylin vsInish. which
thing That is made from wood pulp can, il is said,
be made from this ma.enal. Experiments a'e
| paper from cornstalk pulp. For one thing, IT
| Is predicted that subsistence will be produced
'it NOOuy covering u tnc SidlkS Wllltn VIII
| produce a good quality of paper at such price
| that il will be available for newspaper use. In
| the end il may be that the corns,alk will save
| the forests of this country which are being cut
down for the consumption Of the wood pulp mills,
The uses Of the cornslalk for packing and food
are varied but too technical for discussion In
newspaper As TO the possibilities opened up
| by this new market. the A0ricuHurdiiM says:
The possibilities thus opened up are prodigious.
To add only a few dollars per acre 10 each one
| Of the 10000 900 acres devoted to maize in the
United States each year runs into sum SO fab
! ulous as hardly TO bear publication. But if il
| is assumed that only the fields of the corn belt
will be benefited. those eight States Kentucky.
| Ohio: Indiana. Illinois, Iowa, Missouri. Kansas
and Nebraska, alone average close 10 %. .OOO, 900
| acres under corn. IL only So per acre is added
10 the value Of the crop in this belt i, means the
| tidy sum OF $3.50. 900, 900 added to the farmers
| income
\ large plant is now turning out these pro
ducts at Owensboro Ky. under the direction Of
Mark W, Marsden, who took out the first patent
on cornstalk product in 1895 and other plants
are now nearing completion al Linden Ind,
Peoria, ILL.,, and Newport News, Va.
THE FIRLOCK PEAR.