The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-12-14

Jared Smith, at the meeting OF the
| Farmers Institute, presented the fol
lowing excellent paper on Cassava;
Cassaya. Manioc or Pia has long
| been cultivated in Hawaii. Its Vaiue
as feed for cattle is well known ano
there are several ranches where II Il
cultivated on a large scale for TINS
purpose It is used by the native Ha-
waiians to some extent as an article
OF diet and also for the manufacture
of a crude laundry starch.
Cassava cultivation is now attract
ing considerable attention in Florida
and the West Indies for the manufac-
ture of both starch and glucose on a
commercial scale. One starch factory
has been in operation in Florida for
six or seven years and within the last
two years other companies have been
formed and the area devoted to the
cultivation Of this crop is being rapid
ly increased.
1t is said that about 40 per cent of
the American corn crop is used for
the manufacture of starch and glucose.
The demand for corn is on the in
crease whereas the area suited TO its
cultivation has either been taken up
or is gradually being devoted to other
crops. The average prices received
for the American corn crop are higher
today than ten years ago and are each
year showing tendency to go higher
This rise is due to increase of popula-
ton and increased consuming
capacity of the people of the United
States and also to the multiplicity of
ic
now put. Twenty years ago full crop
in all the corn states caused the bot
tom to drop out of prices for corn. I
have seen corn sell for ten cents
bushel and have known corn to al
most entirely supplant coal as fuel
during winters following exceptional
harvests due to favorable seasons. Ten
cent corn has not been known for ten
years and probably never win be
known again in the United States.
When any product falls in price the
inventive genius of the modern manu-
facturer siezes the opportunity to con-
vert it into new products. AS long
as corn was saleable only as meal for
bread or as "shelled-corn'' for fatten-
ing hogs and cattle the market for this
grain was absolutely fixed according
eat bread made from the grain, and
according to the visible supply of cat
tie and hogs to be fattened. The sur
plus was almost valueless except for
fuel or when stored for speculative
sales between seasons. The cheapness
of this surplus and the enormous
quantities often held as surplus caused
manufacturers to seek new uses for
L.
quired for a score of purposes un-
known back in the early days of the
West.
for one purpose fiuctuates in value
from year to year in direct ratio to
supply and demand. Increase indefin-
ately the uses to which that product
can be put without at the same time
increasing the area planted TO the crop
and the value of the product is bound
to rise. That is what has happened
to the corn crop of the United States,
and to rubber in Brazil, and to many
other industries.
The question now arises what has
the price of the American corn crop
to do with the cultivation of Manioc in
Hawaii
The prediction has been made by
those interested in the business that
if corn continues to rise in price dur
ing the next ten years as it has in
the past decade, the time is surely
coming when starch and glucose can
no longer be profitably manufactured
from this cereal
The chief commercial value of starch
arises from its use in the textile in
dustries. Every thread used in the
manufacture of cotton cloth of what
ever character must be sized before
the cloth is woven. Many finished
cloths are sized after weaving The
principal sizing material is starch al
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