The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1913-01-05

trade calls parity" that Is the world
price with the American duty added.
If this proves true it will carry out
the predictions Of Secretary Wilson,
DR.. Wiley and other advocates of sugar
beet culture who have insisted that
with proper encouragement for this
| industry it would ultimately make the
American consumer independent of the
| tariff and insure him a permanent
supply Of cheap sugar. With the pros
pect Of an adequate supply Of sugar
| produced In the natural way at a price
even lower than 1t has been In the
past, therefore, the substitute of saw
dust origin will have to prove that 1t
can be turned out still more cl1eaply
before 1t can claim promising future
as 3. food product.
While the question OF the cost OF
chemically produced sugar Is OF inn
PoFtanoe as determining whether it
viii displace the farmer and the re-
finery, the process by which it Is OBJ
tanned is interesting and there is rea-
son to believe that some special uses
of importance will be found for it.
Sacchulose is obtained by subjecting
/ sawdust in closed retorts to digestion
with q weak sulphurous acid solution
1
! pounds to the square inch. OF the
product obtained by this transmuta-
ton. as wonderful as the dreams of
the alchemists, about rs per cent is
sugar. Numerous experiments have
already been made in England on live
stock to determine the value of sac
ehulose to the farmer and breeder.
Four draught horses were selected
doing ordinary work with others, and
In the not time of the year, when
horses are generally expected to lose
weight. the usual food ration was al
tered by deducting four pounds of oats
q day from the food selected for the
four and replacing them by four
pounds of q 'isaeehuiose'' melasses
compound. The animals working in
the same teams with the selected four
to which had not been given this food,
showed no increase in weight, but
those experimental upon showed a net
gain in body weight, and worked bet
ter in every way. Increases in weight
, of 20 pounds, 30 pounds, 35 pounds and
90 pounds were shown respectively.
Can Also Drink IL.
Not only may sawdust be eaten, &C =.
cording to these remarkable expert
ments, but may be drunk as we'll,
making 1t actually possible to take a
glass OF sawdust a. an appetizer be-
fore dinner. It's sugar content makes
1t resource for many industries, and
naturally the first Of these is the
manufacture OF spirit. 4 factory cap
able of treating 200 tons Of sawdust
weekly could turn out between 300, 900
to 100000 gallons of proof spirit q
year. This would also give by-products
of 80 tons of acetic acid, 10 tons OF
turfural. and 1000 gallons of methyI
alcohol for recovery. The spirits pro-
dnced. are OF high quality and free
from fuSel oil. 1t is thought that this.
in these days. is OF mixed advantage.
since it appears that fusel oil obtained
as a by-product is becoming more
valuable than the spirits produced.
Many other ways are indicated by
this remarkable discovery in which
sawdust may enter into our daily lives.
In the shape Of noiasses 1t may be
rsed for sprinkling roads. Converted
wood" is also mentioned as q base for
making rubber, and in the manufac-
ture of explosives its value is i'm
pcrtant. Indeed by this modern al
chemy it win be possible to utilize the
once despised product, supposed to be
fit only to scatter on floors and put
I Abslue uOis III many Nonuefdul ways.
1t can be eaten or drunk, 1t can be
used to lay the dust on roads, or to
NOV down the enemy in time of war
fare, to mention only a few. Every
rail fence may take to the eyes of the
hungry tramps the shape of a possible
meal, and the once detested bucksaw
and wood pile assume a new signifi-
canoe. Whether or not the Sawdust
Age is to take its place in history In