Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-10-20
EXPERIMENTS in
MAKING ALCOHOL
GREAT POSSIBILITIES ARE SEEN
IN THE FREE ALCOHOL LEels.
LATloN
Denatured Product Can Be Made with
Profit-Predictions Made of the Fu-
ture Uses of the Liquid-Experiment
Farms Conducted,

curing the last session of congress-
WIN doubtless give, as intended great
impetus to the manufacture of alcohol.
when Will now be used quite freely
in the arts and as fuel. Heretofore
Tue tax OF 1920 per gallon, levied by
Inc government, quite effectua!ly pre-
vented the general use of alcohol. If
IS reasonable to expect that denatur-
!zed alcohol will be extensively used
IN manufacturing dye stuffs and chem
icals, which are now almost entirely
imported from Europe. The term de
naturlzed' means the addition of some
foreign substance which renders the
alcohol unfit for making whisky of
beverages. Frequently the term i'm
pies tho use of wood alcohol, which
as Is we'll known, is very poisonous.
Denaturlzing in no way affects the
solvent properties of alcohol.
Alcohol is obtained by the fermenta.
tlon OF some substance such as sugar,
starch, grain or potatoes. The strong.
est alcohol used Is about ninety-fiye
per cent pure, and the price varies
from $3.50 to $3.50 per gallon, showing
that the greater part of the cost is due
10 the $2.2O tax per gallon levied by the
government. Wood alcohol Is used
quite extensively in the manufacture
OF paint, varnish and shellacs but is
inferior to ordinary alcohol and is det-
rimental to the health Of those who
work with 1t.
Greatest Natural Fields.
The opinion has been expressed by
an authority that the territory along
the lines of the Burlington route is
one OF the greatest natural fields in
the United States for the manufacture
OF alcohol First of all there is the
abundance of grain and potatoes from
which alcohol can be made. Then
there Is the ample supply of water and
coal and the good transportation facil-
tiles. The very fact that alcohol can
be made from grain and potatoes III
sures better 4Aarkets for those already
staple CROP. in Burlington territory.
Another advantage In this connection
is that early frost, which occasionally
damages the corn crop, does not lessen
Its value for distilling purposes. 1t is
also true that potatoes of an inferior
grade or wholly undesirable for house
hold consumption can be utilized in
making alcohol.
Nebraska Experiments.
At the Nebraska Experiment Farm
on the Burlington, near Lincoln, 500
bushels Of potatoes per acre have been
raised, A bushel of potatoes will make
gallon of alcohol, SO that 1t is eyi.
dent potatoes would pay enormous
dividends. However it is the opinion
of experts that our first Industrial al
cohol will be made from grain. It is
the farmer who is in position to profit
from the alcohol industry, for alcohol
as fuel 1t going to do wonders for
him. It is confidently expected that
denaturized alcohol will be largely
used for heating, lighting and fuel.
While it has only about half the heat
ing power of kerosene or gasoline, 1t
lis far superior in other respects. For
instance. 1t is much safer and can be
easily controlled. While denaturized
alcohol may not soon displace gaso-
line or kerosene, this product is abso-
lutely unlimited, whereas gasoline, for
instance, represents only about two
per cent of all the petroleum refined,
and the demands now made upon it
can only force up the price. The far
mer who is to produce corn and pota-
toes for the manufacture of alcohol is,
however, to share even more intimate
ly in the profits, for he can utilize it
in his home and on his farm. Alcohol
is now used In small portable lamps
which give all the effects of mantel
burner heated by gas. AS motive
power, 1t will be Of even greater value
for the farmer can use 1t to make his
butter, grind his feed, pump his water
or turn it to any other use on the
farm.
Statistics of the ways and means
committee Of the house of represen-
tatives show many places where alco.
hol can De produced at cost Of 20 to
rs cents per gallon. Moreover, the
refuse matter can be used as cattle
feed. When this cost is compared
with the 1920 tax per gallon, the enor.
nous saving in production which
comes with all new enterprises, i'm
provements in machinery and other
conditions will eventually reduce this
cost, SO that alcohol is certain to be-
come one Of the cheapest fuels ever
I