Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1926-08-26
Little Journeys Here and There
By ]. A. WYE
By j. A. WYE

A scientist, Jas. w. Beckman, ur-
ges farmers to utilize waste products.
His ideas could only be carried out
through cooperation and organizes
tion. He gives a look ahead and
gives progressive men something to
think about. Mr.. Beckman begins
by saying: millions, If not billions
of dollars are wasted annually in one
of the greatest of all our industries
farming" Continuing among other
things, he says: 1.-THE farmer derives
benefit and revenue from only frac-
ton of the material raised on his
soil. The great outstanding weakness
of agriculture is that it is looked
upon as a food industry alone. 1t
is an industry with only one outlet for
it's product. This is, of course, a
mistake.
In the production of grain crops
the chemist says: "Sun and soil pro-
duce in ninety days, more or less.
chemical work that scientists have
been trying to duplicate for as many
years with only slight success" He
asks: 'Shall he (the farmer) curtail
his acreage?" In answer Mr.. Beck
man says: Perhaps! But not until
he makes use of every pound of chaff
and straw he grows, in such way
as to derive substantial income from
these products. The straw is COM
posed of cellulose and other SUBJ
Of vic
proper treatment, paper, the quality
of which depends only on that of the
straw. The enormous waste of straw
and chaff should be saved. Mountains
of cellulose in sawdust and rice hulls
are useless until someone can make
them useful through the aid of chem
istry (Luther Burbank). 1t would
take us fifty years to grow a crop
of trees suitable for paper manufac-
ture. Ninety days replenishes in
abundance in the wheat fields the
potential cellulose needed in the
paper-making of the country.
In Germany for some time pa
per plant has been operating along
these lines. 1t not only produces
paper, but by-products, such as wood
alcohol, acotone and various oils.
These can be used as fuel. To pro-
duce one ton of paper pulp from
straw approximately one and one-half
tons of straw is required. The value
of the pulp thus obtained is sixty
dollars, and adding to this forty dol
lars, the value of by-products pro-
duced during the manufacture, 1t is
apparent that the farmer has a source
of revenue we'll worth developing.
The chaff of wheat is waste that
today has slight if any value, but
by calling in the assistance OF muri-
attic acid even in very small amounts
the whole chaff can be transformed
into liquid containing large per-
centage of soluble sugars almost
identical with blackstrap molasses.
This molasses can be produced at a
cost of approximately five dollars a
ton, and in view of the high price
often asked for the blackstrap mo-
lasses, it's use should constitute a
great saving in fattening stock.
The first step toward rehabilitat-
ing agriculture is to make it a real
industry that Utilities everything it
produces, turning all into values.
That is the way in which the other
large industries are securing con-
siderable portion of their profit today.
Mr.. Beckman closes the article in
the Dearborn Independent with these
thoughts: "It is indeed not too much
to say that a day will come when
next to the wheat elevator will even
tually stand a paper mill turning out
the nations paper"
Equally certain is it that one day
large chemical plants close to the
large fruit warehouses, where all
| fruits not demanding the highest
prices as human foods will be con-
| verified into products of such char
| acter as to command markets all
over the face of the globe. When
| agriculture has become modern and
| efficient in all respects, then it will
be time enough to seek special
| remedies. But that time, it may be
safely predicted, if modern methods
are really pursued, will never come.
To quote from Mr.. Burbank's letter
| again: Until the plant breeder can
produce special fiber and cellulose
plants, all these wastes should be
| utilized"