The Florida star., 1908-10-30
PEROFCORNSTALKS.
Government Chemists Discover
New Process Of Making II.
IS CHEAP TO MANUFACTURE.

Cut OF 80 Per Cent From Cost Of Wood
Pulp Paper Prsdiotsd-FiVo Grades
Can Do Mads-Turns Waste Into
Revsnue For FarmsrS
Chemists OF the bureau Of forestry
and the bureau Of plant industry in
Washington, working In cooperation,
at last have solved the problem Of
how to turn the millions OF tons Of
cornstaIks wasted every year in the
United States into a serviceable paper
The facts were recently announced
ut the bureau Of forestry, and they
show beyond doubt that the vast guam
tity OF material heretofore considered
valueless and destroyed every year by
farmers can be utilized, thus saving
much Of the remaining wood reserve
OF the country and bringing about the
manufacture of paper from an annual
crop.
The first practicable samples Of this
new paper have been manufactured In
Washington by DIR. ii. q. Bristol and
his assistants at the new laboratory,
1880 Pennsylvania avenue southeast.
They were shown at the bureau offices
In " street, and they consist Of ave
grades, I'm five cOlOrs. One grade is
n dark gray, thick and heavy. resem-
bling parchment. 1t is almost as tough
as the historical sheepskin. There is
n lighter gray Of the same character,
two shades Of yellow and one Of white.
The latter are manufactured from the
hard outside part Of the stalk, and the
former from the interior or pith.
The yellow grades have much longer
fber, resembling paper made from cot
ton rags or linen, soft to the touch,
pliable and appear to have been made
from material entirely Of different
character from that used in the gray
qualities.
The chemists used the soda cooked"
process, which many manufacturers
have discovered to be the best treat
ment for the finer grades OF wood pulp.
The cornstalk pulp can, be cooked In
two or two and half hours as against
twelve TO fourteen hours needed In
treating wood. The surprising discOv-
cry also was made that I'm the present
cornstalk paper can be made almost as
cheaply as wood paper. though the lat
ter industry has been developing
through fifty years. The belief is ex-
pressed that when proper machinery is
brought out and the farmers grow corn
stalks In localities where 1t can be
moved cheaply to the mills Of the fu-
ture the cost will be fully 80 per cent
less than wood paper.
At the present time, with wood al
So a cord, paper pulp can he manufac-
tured at $13 a ton. With cornstalks al
$5 a ton, and, adding the cost OF bring
ing the stalks from nearby farms t.
the Washington laboratory, pulp can
be manufactured at $l4 ton. These
figures are regarded as prophetic of the
future, no new product ever having
been produced In the past at anywhere
near the price reached subsequently
with commercial development.
mo special growth Of corn Is need
ed" said one Of the chemists. 'as Oul
experiments have shown that any kind
will do. We used common Nirglnl;
and Maryland field corn. That grown
and destroyed in Illinois and Indiana
Maine aud Texas, will do just as we'll
"The discovery Is undoubtedly one oI
the most valuable of its kind made re
Gently. Ii will add millions Of dollar,
TO the pockets Of farmers. put partia
stop TO forest destruction aud furniSl
the country with an equally good but /.
much cheaper paper than that now i,