The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1904-09-02

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Chicago Record Herald says \ Maine
paper mill is making paper from Ill
inois cornstalks that sells as high as
eight cents pound, the result Of the
new farm operation thai promises
great results. 1t is a farm matter
that in the use of stalks for paper re-
suits in tie farmer having his corn
huskcd for 81 an acre instead OF three
cents q bushel and in having gathered
into his barn all the fodder that is
really desirable for feeding purposes.
For years the paper manufacturers
have known that the cOrnstalk pro-
duces a fiber that is valuable for paper
making purposes. but up TO Il year OF
so ago they We're at loss to know
how TO cook it to advantage. TO COOK
the shell Of the cornstalk TO the porp-
er consistency would overlook the
pith. Neither could the leaves or the
husks be cooked with the stalk with
out spelling some component rart
About eight years ago George X.
Sherwood. of Kearney. Neb., began
giving the subject of utilizing corn
stalks considerable thought From his
seat in a railroad car he looked out
over the great wastes of cornstalks
and tried to figure out the solution of
putting them to valuable use. Later
he consulted Il Chicago chemist named
William Hoskins. and the two set to
work to devise plan by which the
shell Of the cornstalk and the pith
could be pre- AIRED for paper making
separa tely. TO DO this it would be
necessary to separate the pith from
the shell. and it would have to be done
by machinery \ scort or more Of
such machines We're experimental
with.
About q year ago piece Of mcchan-
ism was completed and set 10 work,
with the result that nearly 100 tons
of the fine, grades Of paper have been
made from stalks that grew ia Kan
kakae County, H. The quality Of this
paper is such as to make l. available
for nearly all the purposes of print
er or bookmaker The character of
the pith production is slightly differ
ent from that OF the shell. One grade
of it has been found desirable for
grocers use in covering l,rd or butter.
\ .arge p.oportion of the paper that
has been made came from the 1905
crop of cOrnstaiks.
1t vas first thought best to induce
the farmer to haul his corn fodder to
the plant in Kankakec, nave the corn
husked and then hauling the leaves
and the husks back to the farm for
feeding purposes superintendent Mil
Ter of TIC factory, hoWevC", believed
there was a much better plan, one
that was calculated to enlist the CO.
operation o. the farmers. He perfect
ed a machine, the province of which
is to be hauled to the farm, set up
near the barn and then haul the shocks
CT fodder to the machine, just as the
thrashirg people haul oat or other
grain. The fodder is feu into the ma
chine. swiftly driven ly steam power.
The first act of the cOntrivance is
TO snap off the ears of the cOrnstalk
and to drop them into doble con-
veyOr. which carries the ears along
endways, skinninG off the husks as
they pass along Scarcely a shred
is left on an ear. the great bulk
Of the yellow ears coming out with
out vestige of their former covering.
What little Smelling is done in the OPP
Grafton the machine saves the grains
and deposits them i'll box at the side.
The ears are run by machinery into
a wagon box, in which they arc hauled
away.
After having clipped off the ears
the machine runs the stalks to the
rear. dep0siting them side by side on
table Automatically the machine rolls
them into a bundle that is pushed into
binder operated on the same prin-
ciple as that of he binding machin
cry of harvester. The bundle of
stalks, as clean as fish poles, is tied
with hemp cord and dropped to the
side of the machine.
The leaves and husks of the fodder
are dropped ON an endless belt that
carries them TO the mouth of a blow
pipe, the function of which is to blow
this material into the barn CT the farm
er, who finds in it some of the finest
feed stuff that his farm produces.
For thus husking his corn and blow
ing the part fit for cattle feed into
the barn the farmer pay the machine
man 81 an acre ana turns over the
stalks TO the latter free of charge. The
machine will clean ';p six acres or
about 1870 shocks o corn a day.
The STALKS. which have now become