The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1927-10-19
Editorial Comment
When Corn Is King
New York Times)


1t is only few weeks since Kansas reported
the corn crop growing SO that that farmers
could hear it as they stood in their fields. Now
from Iowa, through professor from the Iowa
State College, comes an enthusiastic statement
about the success Of experimental work in util-
izing cornstalks for all manner of by-products.
The city dweller, whose knowledge Of corn is
that it is the king Of vegetables, is surprised to
learn that it has any other uses. Prior to pro-
hibition, to be sure, he had heard of a drink
usually spoken of as ''corn" which was said to
be delectably potent In the days when labor
ers were paid SIPS for ten hours of work he
was also familiar with the so-caed corncob
pipe. Today according to Professor Sweeney
of the Iowa State College, cornstalks are being
used for everything from lumber to embalming
fluids. He estimates the value Of the 80 per
now go to waste at about one billion dollars.
If this can be reclaimed on paying basis, it
will be an immense gain for the farmers and
for the nation at large.
The chemical industry takes the credit for
the experimental work in utilizing cornstalks
for by-products. AS matter Of fact the part
played by chemists and other scientists in ag-
ricultural research is one IF the most interest
ing developments of the times. Not only has
much work been done to determine the meth.
DDS of using vegetable products, but expert.
ments have been made to ascertain the most
favorable conditions of growth of many plants.
and to facilitate their culture and control
blight. Much interesting work of this sort has
been done by the Boyce Thompson Institute fo-
Plant Research at Yonkers. Methods of has
tening the sprouting of dormant potato tubers
and of discovering the optimum temperature
for the termination Of seeds have been studied
for a number of years. Experiments have been
made with artificial sunlight in order to dis
cover the ideal light condition for different
types of grain and vegetables. In short, scien-
tific investigation has been made of all phases
of plant growth and how it is helped and him
dered. The many interesting results of this
work will in time have practical as we'll as a
purely scientific interest.
The experiments with corn are particularly
interesting because of the fact that corn has
become one of the worlds greatest crops. Ma
tive to the American continents, it has, of
course, been widely developed in the United
States. The Indians used it for food centuries
before the white man landed here, and devel-
oped numerous different strains suitable to
different localities. Today, thanks to the eff
forts of scientists, corn can be grown far in the
north, and even in the tropics. 1t is now one
of the principal crops of Java, in the Dutch
East Indies.
Despite this wide distribution of corn for
food purposes, it has been estimated that only
about per cent Of the cornstalks of the courl-
try are profitably used. Of this the major
portion has until recently gone into silos for
feed. The success of companies utilizing var
Gus corn products seems now so well assured
that we may expect a. general development OF
the use Of corn in industry-alWays providing
that the corn-borers do not use it first.