Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1906-06-30
Manufacture of Alcohol; Pos
sibilitiies of Denatured PRODUCE

rs HE following article ia furnished
the Rural New Yorker by II. W.
Wiley chemist OF the depart
ment Of agriculture, Washing
ton
II Is a hopeful sign for the progress
Of our country that the agricultural
population IL taking an interest IN ma
tiOnal legislation This interest has
been especially manifested IN the bills
which are pending before Congress pro-
viding FOR the use OF denatured alco.
hol free OF tax in the arts and IN the
regulations Of the interstate and for
eign commerce ia the adulteration and
misbranding of foods and drugs. The
question OF the manufacture OF aleu-
hol free from tax is one which is close
~ related TO the prosperity OF Ameri.
can agriculture. The great question,
OF course, is So TO denature alcohol as
TO make II impossible for use as a
beverage. The pending bill provides
that the methods OF deuauring and the
regulations governing it shall be deter
mined 10y the secretary OF the treas-
ury. We cannot tell therefore. until
the bill becomes a law what these regu-
lations are 10 be, nor what the condl-
tons Of manufacture aud sale are 10 be-
l think It advisable. however. at once
10 warn our farmers that II viii hardly
prove profitable To undertake 10 manu-
facture alcohol IN a small way upon
The farm. No difference how small
the quantity Of alcohol may be. il can
not be manufactured except under the
supervision Of revenue official. and
the manufacturer must pay the sal
AIRY and exT enses of this official: at
least, II is likely that he will hp re-
qured 10 do So under the regulations.
Thus, In the future the manufacture
Of alcohol. as at The present. win prob
ably be conducted In large establish
ments. The principle involved b. OK
actly the same as that employed 90
the manufacture Of beet sugar, Whigh.
II Is found, Is imprlcticdhle M "a small
way. Central factories are necessary
for the success Of the sugar industry,
and central distillerieg viii be necessary
In the alcohol industry
The methods Of manufacturing alCo-
hol from Indian corn are well known.
and II is not necessary Go describe them
here. Practically all Of the alcohol
made IN the United States al the pres.
ent time is made from Indian corn. /
may say that malt IS used almost uni
yersally for converting the starch of
The Indian corn into sugar although
This can also be- accomplished by chemi.
cal means. viz. by heating the starch
with o dilute acid such as sulphurlc
or hydrochlorIc acid preferably under
pressure ~ steam The most album
dant source OF alcohol after Indian
corn Is probably the potato. either the
ordinary white, the sweet or the yam.
This Is crop grown On great abund.
anoe IN almost an parts OF the United
states, while IN some localities especial
" favorable conditions are obtained for
the growth OF the potato. for instance.
IN the northern part of Maine, in Colo
RADIO and many other places. The inn.
perfect, broken or bruised potatoes
can be very probably used for alcohol
making where the sound. well-for1ned
potatoes would bring more money by
direct sale In the making Of alcohol
from the potato. II u not necessary arsf
10 separate the starch. The whole
potato can be reduced 20 a fine pulp.
mixed with water. and the starch con-
verted into sugar by malt or by heat
ing with an acid as above described.
After the conversion Of the starch into
sugar, fermentation takes place. The