The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1906-10-17
EVEN COBS ARE VALUABLE
EXPERIMENTS SHOW AN ADDED
PROFIT IN CORN GROWING.


Important Step for the South.
The recent denatured alcohol law
is of as great Importance to Georgia
as to any other state. Writers on
agricultural economics have long in
sisted that the South should not let
the growing of cotton exclude from
the attention of the agriculturist
the possibilities in raising corn and
other crops. With a capacity of
something like 100 bushels to the
acre as compared with a maximum
of 80 in the so-called bumper
crops" of Kansas and other western
states it is strange that the southern
| farmer does not seriously take up
the question of raising more corn
and less cotton. If he should do so
it would be long step towards solv-
| ing the negro problem, by making
the negro, now an important factor
in southern agriculture, economically
superfluous in agricultural pursuits.
This question of raising more corn
should be brought still more forci-
| bly, to the attention of the southern
! farmer, since the passing of the re-
cent denatured alcohol law. By the
passing of this law source of rev.
enue, immense in it's possibilities,
has been discovered in what has
| heretofore been a vase in the grow
| ing of corn. AS is well eXemplified
| by the great fortune heaped up by
the Kansas City and Chicago pack
| ing magnates, the utilization of by
products is one of the surest roads
to wealth. The bringing of this OPP
portunity to the door of the small
producer-the farmer-may we'll be
considered the most important step
in the development of agriculture
throughout the country, but in the
south in particular.
A recent issue of the Philadelphia
Record contains an account of re-
cent tests which have been made in
the State Agricultural college IN
Ames, Ia. This account was reprint
ed in the Record for the most part
from the New York Tribune. 1t
follows:
Tests which have been made for
the last two months in the expert
ment station of the state agricult-
ural college at Ames, Ia, have es-
tablished definitely for the first time
that there is way to make dena-
tured alcohol for use as full, light
and motive power at price that Will
be considerably lower than that OF
gasoline, and this material is none
other than green corn-cobs.
Whereas, says the New York Trib-
une, figures obtained from other
countries that have manufactured de-
natured alcohol for years, taken IN
to consideration with the prices or
/ corn, potatoes and mOlasses, h1ther-
to the most used for manufacture or
this article, have not held out hope
of even meeting the prices OF pro-
ducts of crude oil; not until these
experiments were carried on was
way found to make commercial al
cohol at a low enough cost to pc
come the new popular article for
these three purposes.
Green corn-cobs to a great quantl-
tv are thrown away every year by
canneries all over the United States.
These were not only waste product,
Int caused an expense, as they soon
soured and became so offensive II
has been necessary to haul them
away.
Eleven Gallons to the Ton.
The tests carried on here show
that there are II gallons of alcohol
in each ton of green cOrn-cobs. Inc
process of distillation is simple. a
conveyor carries the cobs to the
grinding machine, where they are re-
duced to a pulp. This pulp is mixed
with water and then brought to a
boil. After being boiled a short
time the Yeast is put into the pulp
and the whole mass is allowed to
ferment. After that the usual pro-
cess of distillation is followed
The cost of manufacture is shown
ITO he about three cents a gallon.
Adding the cost of Decentralization
and a liberal profit for distiller and
retailer. the product can be sold for
at least as low as 20 cents gar
lon, and perhaps for 10 to Is cents
The significance of these expert
ments is readily understood When II
is known that gasoline sells for al
least % cents a gallon. AS an artl-
Gle of motive power alcohol would
compete with gasoline. 1t has been
hitherto established that a gallon OF
alcohol will produce at least ~ pei
cent more power than a gallon OF
Gasoline. Therefore, with alcohol al
| 30 cents and gasoline at p cents
| il is manifest the alcohol would DC
considered the cheaper.
In Germany lamp is now nade
for burning alcohol with a WelsbacE
burner. which produces strong
steady and high-grade light. Expert
ments testing this lamp with ne
most approved pattern keroslnt
1amns with round wicks and an equa
candle-power showed that a galioI
of alcohol would keep the alcono
lamp burning twice as long as the
kerosine. Therefore, with kerosen'
at as low a price as Is cents i
would be so per cent more expenslV'
for lighting purposes than alcoho
made from corn-cobs. 1t has alread1
| of % and ever