Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-20
Process of Manufacture of Vital
Interest to Farmers of Iowa
and the West
WASTE MATERIAL VALUABLE
Development of the Corn Pith Paper
Industry Will Undoubtedly Increase
Materially the Income Of the Far
mers of the Corn Producing States
Company Recently Organized at
Chicago.
Special to Times-Republican.

Iowa City, April 2O.-Are the fields
to furnish the material which will
supply the western world with it's pa
per making material? Have the farm
ers of the middle west wasted material
almost as valuable as the corn crop
itself? Such are the interesting quer-
ries brought forth by the recent or
ganization of a company for the ex-
press purpose of manufacturing paper
from the pith of the corn stalk and
of the corn stalk.
The process of manufacture of vital
interest to the farmers OF Iowa and the
west, was explained to w. r. Patter-
son, professor of economics and sta
tistics of the state university of Iowa.
during a recent trip to Chicago in the
interests of the commercial museum of
the university. A company has been
organized under the name of the Ma
tional Fiber and Cellulose Company, is
being financed by the Arthur N. Pow
ers & Company, Chicago. Experiments
have been made during the past five
years to perfect the machinery neces-
sary for the separation of the ptth
from the corn stalk and about 100000
have been spent in the preliminary
work.
Machines for handling the crop from
the time it is taken from the farmers
field until it is delivered in the form
of paper have already been patented.
The first process is the securing of the
stalk and it's separation from the ears
of corn. This is accomplished by
means of an enlarged and improved
threshing machine. The corn stalks
are gathered from the field and fed
into the machine, butt first. The leaves
are stripped from the stalk, the husks
from the ear of corn, and after being
cut in such a way as to be in the best
shape for feeding cattle, is delivered
by means of endless belts into large
ears husked clean, are delivered into
wagons, at another side of the ma
chine and the corn stalks. stripped
clean, are kicked out at the side,
bound in neat bundles.
These so-called threshing machines
have been worked successfully in the
vicinity Of Kankakee, ILL.,, where the
company has an option on a wood
pulp plant The bundles of husks are
then carted to the nearest railroad
station, and shipped to the de-pithing
plant. Here the stalks are cut into
small sections and treated to caus-
tic soda In big rotary, where they
are practically cooked. The material
is then transferred to beater where
the pulp is separated from the fiber.
The pulp having absorbed twenty-five
times it's own weight in water, sinks to
the bottom of the vat, while the out
side fiber floats off. The pulp is then
passed thru series of rollers. and
without being treated to any other
process Is worked into an excellent
paper which compares favorably with
Japanese vellum.
1t is further stated that the best
quality of this corn pith paper can be
made about $25 per ton cheaper than
the same quality OF wood pulp or rag
paper, while the supply Of raw mater
ial is practically inexhaustable. In
the states of Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, Hill
nO1S, M1SSSOuTl, 4NSUIdShd AAdASdo
alone the total amount of this waste
product, which is unavailable for fee !
but can be used for paper making ma
terial, is estimated at 5S,175,SO2 tons,
while the amount in Iowa alone Is said
to be nearly thirteen million tons.
By-products of this material are also
said to be many and valuable. In pre-
pairing cellulose, gun cotton, smokeless
powder, varnish, artificial leather, ar
tificial silk, rubber substitutes, insu-
lating material, electrical apparatus,
linoleum and floor covering, paper
mache and interior decorations and
many other things, this hitherto neg
lected product can be used. The de-
velopment of this industry will I'M
doubtedly increase materially the in
come of the farmers Of the corn pro-
ducing states.