The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-08-03

eight cents a pound, the result of the
new farm operation that promises
great results. 1t is farm matter
that in the use of stalks for paper re-
suits in the farmer having his corn
husked for 81 an acre instead of three
cents n 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 n fiber that is valuable for paper
making purposes, but up to a year or
so ago they were 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 r.
Sherwood, of Kearney, Neb., began
giving the subject of utilizing corn.
stalks considerable thought. From his
seat in 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 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- ared for paper making
separately. To do this it would be
necessary TO separate the pith from
the shell. and it would have to be done
by machinery. A score or more Of
such machines were experimental
with.
About n year ago a piece of mechan-
ism was completed and set TO work,
with the result that nearly 100 tons
OF the 1ine.t grades of paper have been
made from stalks that grew in Kan
kakee County, Ill. The quality of this
paper is such as to make it available
for nearly all the purposes of a print
CT or bookmaker. The character of
the plth 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.
\ large proportion of the paper that
has been made came from the 1908
crop of cornstalks.
1t vas first thought best to induce
the farmer to haul his corn fodder to
the plant in Kankakee, nave the corn
husked and then hauling the leaves
and the husks back to the farm FOR
feeding purposes. superintendent Mil
Ter of the factory, howeve", believed
there was a much better plan. one
that was calculated TO enlist the CO.
operation OF the farmers. lie 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
of fodder to the machine, just as the
thrashirg people haul oat or other
grain. The fodder is fed into the ma
chine, swiftly driven ly steam power.
The first act of the contrlvance is
to snap off the ears of the cornstalk
and to drop them into dobe con-
veyor, which carries the ears along
endways, skinning off the husks as
they pass along. Scarcely n shred
is left on an ear, the great bulk
of the yellow ears coming out with
out vestige of their former covering.
What little shelling is done in the OPP
Grafton the machine saves the grains
and deposits them in box at the side.
The ears are run by machinery into
a wagon box, in which they are hauled
away.
After having clipped of the ears
the machine runs the stalks TO the
rear, depositing them side by side on a
table. Automatically the machine rolls
them into bundle that is pushed into
a binder operated on the same prin-
ciple as that of The binding machln-
cry of a 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 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 tnat his farm produces.
For thus husking his corn and blow
Ing the p,rt tit for cattle feed into
the barn the farmer pays the machine
man 81 an acre and turns over the
stalks TO the latter free OF charge. The
machine Will clean Up six acres or
about 100 shocks o. corn day.
The stalks, which have now become
the properly of the husker, are hauled
or shipped to the plant at Kankakee !
and are conveyed TO an upper room,
where they are fed into machine
that separates the pith from the shell |
Of the stalk. Two knives that are
driven ut great speed saw the pith |
from the stalk that has been rolled |
fat, so that every particle of the pith |
has been taSen out The pith is |
dropped in,o one bin and the shell into |
another.
They are baled separately and |
shipped TO the paper factory in Maine,
where each is treated according to a
particular process in making Paper.
At first the husker and depithing
machines ere combined in one. the |