The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1901-08-21
USES OF CORN.
Plant That Is Becoming More
Valuable.
SIDE PRODUCTS OF PLANT.
The Government Mixing Expert.
renfs With The Plant t. In
crease Its Yield. Means
Much 70 the South.
Much 20 the South.

Most persons probsbly imagine that
about the only products from corn are
hominy, meal and whisky. The pro-
ducts Of the corn plant are almost as
numerous and varied as those Of the
cotton plant. An exhibit Of the agri-
cultural department in Washington
shows that IN case Of necessity corn
could be depended upon for food,
clotaing aud strong drink, and . mum.
Der Of articles of virtue aud luxury be-
sides. a chemist Of the department
has gone so far a. to produce from corn
a substitute for rubber which cannot be
told By an inexpert person from the
genuine article. It looks like rubber
from Brazil, feels like it, acts like it
and has all Of the characteristic proper
ties Of it.
So far the invention has not been
made ''commercially practicable, that
is, the process costs too much to make
the corn rubber q competitor Of the
real rubber. It is to be expected how
ever, that the time will come when
rubber for tires will be grown in corn
fields.
Another article of especial interest
in the agricultural departments ezhib-
it is corn oil. This is likely to come
more or less into competition with cot
ton seed oil Of the higher grades. The
corn oil is said to look precisely like
olive oil to tsste like it, and to be good
for any use in which olive oil is en-
ployed.
Only the most expert can distin-
guish corn oil from the highest grade
Of Italian olive oil. The product has
been turned to commercial account and
already large quantities Of the oil are
sold.
There are some pretty and lustrous,
though not very strong, cloths from
corn fibre shown. There are also hats.
baskets, etc., made Of the fibre. No
great store, however, is set upon the
possibilities in the line Of paper max
ing. A merohsntable quality Of pa
per has been made from 1t, and expert
msnts with it are being continued.
The pith Of the corn stalk as We have
previously noted is being used in large
quantities in making cellulose, for
packing the sides Of warships. These
are just few Of the products Of the
corn plant. One Of the officials Ct the
Agricultural department is authority
for the statement that all told there are
not far from one hundred products to
be had from corn.
It will interest farmers to know that
the department is conducting investigs-
tions and experiments with view to
largely increasing, if not doubling, the
production cs corn, without any in
crease in expense Of cultivation or Of
acreage. It is hoped this can be &C.
complished by system Of selection Of
corn for planting is said to be most
important matter. Probably 999 farm
ers out Of every 1000 make their selec-
tious Of ears after corn is in the barn.
This is said to be WroIg. This selec-
tion should be made in the field, the
health, vigor and strength Of the stalk
being taken into account.
By carefully selecting the seed corn
from the stalks in autumn, considera-
bly, increased yield it is said, may be
secured, while BY Cross breeding the
bast specimens the nitrogen contents Of
the corn will be increased. The de-
partment has now produced several
Thousand hybrids. Within the next
year tr two it hopes to evolve corn
which with propsr cultivation and fer.
tilizstion will produce 100 bushels to
the acre on land that now brings forty
to fifty bushels.