The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1907-01-03
PRESS BULLETIN NO. 121.
New Mexico College of Agriculture
and Mechanic Arts and Agricui-
tural Station, p. O. AgricuI-
turaI College.

Alcohol.)
a name applied to untaxed ethyl al
conol obtained by the fermentation
of starch, sugar and other ferme1ta-
Bile carbohydrate matter of plants; to
which has been added some substance
often methy1 (wood) alcohol that will
render it unfit for use as a beverage
without affecting it's value for use
in the arts.
The recent federal act removing the
tax from this kind of alcohol has re-
suited in a search for some plant
sufficient quantity to cheaper it's pres
ent cost of production.
A list of the different sources from
which alcohol mas been, or may pos
sibly be prepared is given in Farm
ers' Bulletin No. 26S recently issued
from the Bureau of Chemistry of e..
S. Department of Agriculture, by DR..
H. W. Wiley.
From this bulletin it would seem
that Indian corn is at present the
cheapest, and most generally use5
farm product in the United States for
the manufacture of alcohol. DR.. Wiley
estimates, from the present cost of
the production of corn, hat alcohol
should sell untaxed for about 40
cents per gallon.
The average yield of corn per acre
for tne U. S., is 28.8 bushels. At Sc
pounds per bushel this would be a
yield of about 1913 pounds. About 10
per cent of corr is composed of car
bohydrates, Or fermentable matter,
nearly all of which is capable of I'M
il 1913 pounds of corn there ape
1929 pounds of fermentabIe carbo-
nyurates. Since this form of matter
in plants is capable of producing
about one half it's weight of 95 per
cent alcohol, there would be 564.5
pounds or 1854 gallons produced from
one acre, which. at 40 cents per gallon
would be worth 1925.
Recently cactus has been mention
ed as a possible source of alcohol,
and the Chemical Department of this
institution has had several inquiries
concerning it. But, as we know of no
practical tests that have ever been
conducted to determine the possible
yield of alcohol from cactus, we
were unable to answer these ques-
tons, except by an estimate of the
theoretical quantity That might be
produced by fermentation of the car
bohydrates in this plant. Such an es-
innate is given below, but it must be
remembered that two as yet uade-
termined and very uncertain factors
enter into these calculations and the
result obtained should not be rated
above their expressed valuation.
While, for instance, analysis SHOWS
that cactus contains about 10 per
cent carbohydrates, it is not certain
that all of these are fermentable to
form alcohol. Then, too, the only a
that we have concerning the yield of
cactus per acre is from a gentleman
in San Antonio, Texas, VINO has cul-
tivated and fed the plant for a num-
Der of years. He estimates that if
1000 acres were cultivated without
harvesting for three years, then 100
tons could be obtained Indefinitely
This it may be seen is equivalent to
the enormous yield of $4,000 pounds
per acre. and may be far above the
average yield That can be secured.
If. however, we estimate the the
oretical amount of alcohol possible
from an acre of cactus, in the same
manner as was done above for corn.
assuming the yield OF cactus to be
$4,000 pounds per acre, and all of Its