Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-08-23
DENATUREO ALCOHOL.


1t will Hardly Prove Profitable to
Manufacture Ii ON the Farm.
Now that the denatured alcohol bill
has become a law and will take effect
Jan. l, 1907. the question will doubt
less be raised among farmers II 1t will
be possible for them to manufacture
alcohol from their various farm prod
ucts in individual distilleries upon the
farm. They have been led to suppose
and rightly, that denatured alcohol can
be manufactured from many farm
products, and therefore 1t will create
q new market for their products.
Professor H. w. Wiley, chemist Of
that 1t will hardly prove profitable to
undertake to manufacture alcohol in
q small way upon the farm. No diff
ference how small the quantity Of al
coh0l may be, it cannot be manufac-
tured except under the supervision of
q revenue official, and the manufac-
turer must pay the salary and ex.
penses of this Official; at least it Ia
likely that he will be required to do 80
under the regulations. Thus in the fu-
ture the manufacture Of alcohol, as at
the present, will probably be conducted
In large establishments. The principle
involved is exactly the same as that
employed in the manufacture Of beet
sugar, which, 1t is found, Is imprac-
ticable in a small way. Central fac
tories are necessary for the success Of
the sugar industry, and central distil-
leries will be necessary in the alcohol
industry.
We are inclined to believe that this
advice Is timely and important, for the
successful manufacturer of alcohol re,
quires thorough knowledge Of the
chemistry Of the process and high
degree Of technical skill, and no doubt
Professor Wiley is correct in saying
that the successful practice Of the fu-
ture will consist of the establishment
Of q central distillery In good local
ity accessible to farmers. In these dis
tilleries alcohol can be most econom.
ically made from the raw materials
which the farmers furnish.
Secretary Wilson looks with much
encouragement upon the benefits which
the farmers are likely to reap from the
sale Of products to these distilleries.
Some Of the figures which he gives az
bis estimate on the producing power
Of certain crops are quite beyond ones
comprehension. Figuring the corn crop
ON the basis of fifty bushels Of corn
to the acre, he says there would be ap
prOximately ten tons Of stalks to the
acre. Corn which IL utilized when
sufficiently ripe would yield 2,4OO
pounds Of fermentable matter would
produce ITO gallons of commercial al,
cohol. While fifty bushels Is more
than the average yield per acre at
the present time. yet this yield could
be largely increased in the west on
the heavier corn lands. and when
the vast acreage Of corn in the United
States Is considered-and 1t is approx.
imately 1OOOOO,OOO acres-it can read
lily be seen that the amount Of COM
mercial alcohol produced from the av-
erage Of ten tons Of stalks per acre
would be quite incOmprehensible.
Potatoes also would yield a very
large product and the potato crop
would be vastly larger than at the pres
ent time. from the fact that potatoes
for alcohol need not be Of the best
quality OF finest favor; In fact, many
thousand bushels that now virtually
60 to waste could be utilized. and yet.
he says. from the present acreage the
average yield Of potatoes should
give 265 gallons Of commercial alcohol
per acre. and he believes the amount
would be doubled by the planting Of
more productive varieties without tax.
Ing into consideration their quality.