Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-02
WHY CORN IS KING.
Some Uses to Which Crop of Four
Billion Bushels Is Put.
From Farm Machinery.

From Farm Machinery
corn is the king OF the grains in the
number of bushels produced and in all.
around usefulness. 1t is the foundation
Tor the livestock industry in the United
states, especially hog-raising.
Corn is used directly for food bv thou
sands Of people, in the form of corrbrea a
hominy and many excellent dishes. In.
directly II is the food for the entire meat
eating world, but aside from it's foof
uses there are many others that man,
people have never heard about
.feopie who like to talk in millions and
Onions should revel in discussing th<
corn crop. Corn was the gift OF the new
world TO the old. 1t probably originated
IN Mexico. Now it is grown all over The
world, and the average annual cron Is
ABOUT four billion bushels. The United
states furnishes two-thirds of that total
livery year some new use is found for
corn. In the old days there were only
TWO ways to dispose Of ito feed 1t ia
cattle. and, in the shape Of cornmeal. 10
some people The meal had to be for
local consumption. because when made.
as - tneh was, from the whole kernel,
II soon became rancid.
FROM the germ, which is separatAd
from the kernel in the milling process.
the Oil is extracted by chemical and
mechanical processes, and constitutes a
product which is coming into use in the
manufacture OF paint.
The vulcanized oil Is used exfens,velv
In surfacing linoleum and oilcloth. and Is
applied to a number Of other purposes
AFTER the Oil is extracted there is left q
valuable residuum known as corn oil
cake, which is sold here and abroad, and
no fot
other animals. Nearly fifty million
pounds of this material are annually
shipped to Great Britain and Germany
and there used by farmers. who find il
cheaper than materials of q similar ma.
ture which they can grow at home
A corn product which Is coming into
extensive use Is glucose. made from
starch. water and sulphuric acid Con-
iecuoners use large quantities of glu-
cose. which is a colOrless, swedish siruu
useful as food when properly taken
Nearly two hundred million pounds OF
glucose are sent out Of this country each
year to all parts Of the world
From cornstarch also comes dextrin ot
several kinds. used extensively in the
making of glue. paste and mucilage.
a taste of dextrin. favored often with
some harmless preServative.
one other use of corn may be men,
toned as in all probability having an
important bearing on future industrial
pursuits. Denatured alcohol is already
extensively manufactured from corn, both
at home and abroad. Despite the ad-
vancing price OF the grain, 1t is still one
Of the most economical sources Of q prod
uct which, under different legal restrtc-
tons from those now in existence may
become important as q source OF heat,
light and power in homes. especially
farm homes.
Experiments conducted here and abroad
demonstrated that bulkheads constructed
OF cornstalks were nearly impervious to
water when a shot passed through them.
Some OF the largest ships are now pro-
tected with a belt OF corn pith cellulose
made largely from corn grown in the
Ohio valley. The same material. or modi-
fled forms of it, is used in the manufac-
ture of high explosives. such as guncot-
ton and smokeless powder.
Pyroxylin varnish. another material
made from cellulose, Is a very useful
product manufactured in connection with
the other products just mentioned