Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1909-01-27
I. CoRNsTALK PAPER.
Government Scientists Think the
Problem Has Been Solved.
(Harper's weekly.)

the government scientists Iii Wash
lngton is of greater Importance than
the hndlng of process whereby pa
per can be manufactured from corn
stalks. The announcement of this
discovery has just been made, and If
practical tests bean out the eXpecta-
tions 1t will cause a revolution In
an extensive industry and will great
ly obviate the danger of having mil
lions of acres of forests wiped out of
existence.
y The preservation Of the forest
29ands is one of the most difficult
problems that confront the Ameri-
can people, and on its solution de-
pendS the continuance of our agri-
cultural prosperity. 1t is in the
timber land that the streams have
their origin and are conserved; and
when the forests are laid bare vast
stretches Of country, even hundreds
of miles away from the wooded dis
tricts, may become practically value
less, either through increasing arid
1ty or because Of spring time floods
With the exception of the setting
apart of preserves by The Federal
and State governments there SEEM
ed to be no way in which to check
the enormous slaughter OF trees
During the last few years a strong
effort has been made to awaken pub
lie opinion in the matter and to
arouse the country to the possibility
that one of our most valuable ma
tional possessions might be as COM
pletely and wantonly destroyed as
were the millions of bison which COW
cred our plains but few years ago.
But the demand for paper was so
great that wood pulp alone was avail
tn f.tz- NtSl II.
quantities necessary.
Chemists employed by paper man
ufacturers,N as we'll as by scientific
institutions and the Federal govern
ment, have experimental in vain
with f1brous grasses and other fromS
OF vegetation; and as one after ano-
ther was found to be impracticable
the determination to obtain an ade-
quate raw material grew stronger,
for each defeat only made further
effort the more imperative. And
now, the bureaus Of forestry and
plant industry of the agricultural
department believe they have won
success by using the humble corn
stalk. From this, it is said, they
have already made five grades Of
paper and Of five different shades.
The dark and light grays are thick,
heavy and tough, and somewhat re-
semble parchment, but the two
shades of yellow and the one of white
are soft and pliable. The white is
made from the hard outside shell, Of
the cornstalk, and the yellow from
the pith.
The department of agriculture
claims that millions Of tons of corn
stalks will be available each year for
the purpose of paper making. 1t Is
ncfi to.l hot h-k l.
being burned or otherwise destroyed,
although a large percentage of the
total production is turned under the
soil in fall plowing, or is used as en-
silage to provide fodder or cattle in
winter
If the expectations of the govern
ment chemists are realized 1t Is pos
sible that the farmers Of the coun-
try may have opened to them new
and valuable market for a ty-pro-
duct; the cost OF manufacturing
paper may be cut in half; a supply
of raw material practically limitiess
in quantity may, be assured; and,
best of ALL the wholesale destruction
of forests will cease.
No one can deny that the lumber
industry makes enormous inroads
upon our valuable timber lands, but
by judicious forestry legislation we
may Offset this drain upon our re-
sources. In spite Of modern methods
of fireproof construction and tho
great increase in the use Of iron,
steel and concrete for building ma
terials, wood is necessarily demand
ed in much Of the work. However,
the outlook need not be so alarming
as to cause despair. For many
years practical system of forestry
has been employed in Europe with
pronounced success, and there can
be no reason why, with a careful stu
dy of the subject, the United States
should not duplicate this feat
0-Ra,vord-StO0N