The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1905-04-28
CORN A PAPER.
of Manufacture of Interest t.
Farmers Generally.

Iowa City, Ia. April 24.-Arc the
fields OF the western corn producing
states to furnish the material which
Will supply the western world with it's
paper making material? Have the
m of the middle west wasted
material llnos as valuable as the corn
crop itself? Such are the interesting
questions brought forth by the recent
organization of a company for the en-
press purpose of manufacturing paper,
from the pith of the corn stalk and
box board from the fiber i'll the shell
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 economies and sta
tistics OF the state university of Iowa.
during II 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 mpan
Powers & Co, of Chicago. Experiments
have been made during the past five
years TO perfect the machinery neceS-
siary for the separation of the pith
from the corn stalk and about 500, 600
has been spent i'll the preliminary
work.
Machines for handling the crop from
~ ''''N - 'a'h1i4 liotI nc hammer y
field until it is delivered in the form
Of paper have already been patented.
The tirSi process is the procuring of the
stalk and its separation from the ears
of corn. This is accomplished by
means of an enlarged and improved
1hreshing machine. The corn stalk
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
u in such Il way as to be in the best
shape for feeding cattle. is delivered
by means of endless belts into large
stacks. or in the farmers barn. The
ears. husked clean. are delivered into
wagons at another side of the ma
chine and the corn talks stripped
clean. are kicked out at the side. bound
in neat bundles.
Machine Works Successfully.
These so-called %threshing machines
have been worked successfully in the
vicinity of kankakee, H., where the
company mas an option OH n wood pulp
plant. The bundles of husks are then
carried to the nearest railroad station
n shipped TO the de-pithing plant.
Here the stalks are cut into small sec
IONS and treated TO a caustic soda in
a big rotary, where they are practically
cooked. The material is then trans
ferred to a beater where the pulp is
separated from the fiber. The pulp,
having absorbed twenty-five times its
own weight in water. sink to the bot
tom of the vat. while the outside fiber
floats Oft. The pulp is then passed
through n series of rollerS and without
being treated to any other process is
worked into an excellent paper. which
compares ~favorably With Japanese vel
lumi.
1t is further stated thai the best
quality OF this corn pith paper car be
made about $25 per ton cheaper thar
the same quality of wood pulp or rag
paper. while the supply of raw ma
terlal is practically ineXhaustable. In
the states of Iowa. Ohio, Indiana. I'LL
nols. Missouri. Nebraska and Kancas
alone the total amount of this waste
which is unavailable fer feed
can be used for paper making ma
terial. is estimated at 5S.175,S0 tons.
Shlle the amount in Iowa alone is said
be nearly 10000. 900 tons.
6~S-productS of this material are also
said to be many and valuable. In pre-
parlns celluiose. gun cotton, smokeless
poWder. Narnish. artificial leather, ar
silk, rubber substitutes, insulat-
material. electrical apparatus. lin
oleum and floor covering. paper mache
and interior decorations and many 9TH
er things this hitherto neglected prod
uct can be used. The development of
This industry will undoubtedly increase
materially the income of the farmers
u inc corn producing states.