The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1907-12-24
Farm Alcohol Production,
Carefully Made Estimates Of Its Profit
ableness II Made From Ordinary Farm
Products--Its Various Uses. =. :. ..
II. M. Banner.
Professor OF Farm Mechanics,
Colorado Agricultural Colleac.

Professor OF Farm Mechanics,
Colorado Agricultural College.
Denatured alcohol is simply the
commercial grade of pure alcohol
made UNIT for use as a beverage by
having added to it wood alcohol,
which is poisonous. This denatur-
ing process must be under the direct
inspection and control of the United
States government.
1t is not likely that the individual
farmer will operate and own his still.
This would interfere too much with
the regular farm work The ex-
pense of inspecting these stills and
denaturing this alcohol in small
quantities would be enormous. There
is no reason. however, why co-opera-
tive or county distilleries should not
be set up in which the farmers would
own stock, furnish the raw material
and use the finished product on theis
farms or sell the surplus. In this
manner tax free alcohol must neces-
sarily be benefit to the farmer.
The cost of denaturing alcohol will
be that of labor and the cost of the
denaturing agents, and should not
exceed five cents gallon.
The chief alcohol yielding materi-
ais produced in farm crops are
starch and sugar. Used for this pur-
pose they yield about forty-five per
cent of their weight in alcohol. This
gives us a basis for estimating the
amount of alcohol which different
crops may yield. Thus the percent
age OF alcohol making material in
different farm products, of which
about forty-five per cent. can be con-
verified into alcohol, is as follows:
Rice, so per cent; rye, 70 per cent;
wheat, IL per cent; barley, 20 per
cent; corn, 20 per cent; Kafir corn,
20 per cent; buckwheat, Ga per cent;
oats, 60 per cent; cowpeas, SO per
cent; peas, SO per cent; potatoes, II
per cent; apples, C per cent, sugar
beets, 8 per cent; and corn stalks,
(Green) IL per cent
For example. suppose a farmer
raises only 100 bushels of potatoes
on an acre; these will weigh 5000
pounds. According to the above es-
Innate II per cenS of this, or 1900
pounds, is starch. This starch will
yield about 45 per cent. OF its weight
In alcohol, or 459 pounds. which
equals sixty-seven gallons. Thus the
alcohol produced from one acre of
potatoes of 100 bushels yield, selling
for 25 cents a gallon, would amount
to the sum of $16.75.
Calculations made from any Of the
other farm crops, as to the amount
OF alcohol which may be produced,
will look rather small from the far
mer's standpoint.
Under these conditions 1t would
hardly be paying proposition to
raise the average crop for the pro-
duction of alcohol. However, there
are always in connection with the
farm some products which could be
easily converted into alcohol which
would otherwise be totally lost. This
alcohol would, in the majority of
cases, furnish the heat, light and
power necessary for that farm, and
would at the same time tend to
Keep down the price of gasolene and
kerosene.
For lighting purposes alcohol has
been found to possess almost twice
the efficiency of kerosene. 1t flu
nishes brighter, cleaner and winter
light, without the disa greeable odor.
and is safer than kerosene.
For power purposes, according to
Lucke, IAN engine designed for gas
olene or kerosene can, without any
material alterations to adapt it to
alcohol, give slightly more power
(about % per cent? than when oper-
ated with gasolene or kerosene, but
the increase is at the expense of
greater consumption OF fuel. BY al
terations designed to adapt the en-
CINE to this new fuel this excess OF
power may be increased TO about 20
per cent. The different designs of
gasolene engines are not equally well
adapted to the burning of alcohol,
though all may burn 1t with a fair
degree of success"
In most localities it is unlikely
that alcohol power will be cheaper
or as cheap as gasolene power for
some time to come
Too much must not be expect ed
of the alcohol industry at once: its
progress is bound to he slow. There
are many problems to solve which
will take considerable time.