The Skyland post. [volume] (West Jefferson, N.C.) 193?-1988, 1937-09-09

Development of new uses fol
agricultural commodities offer some
hope for future improvement in
farm conditions. 1t is one of the
most important things that the Fe-
deral Government is doing for the
farmer. To the South, it will mean
new demands for farm products
new industries and new fields OF
employment. AS the Government
has helped agricultural through bet
ter weather reporting, insect and
pest control and the handling OF
SURPRISES, it is now Strengthening
its experiments in finding new uses
for surplus products.
While the value of this large
scale research cannot be overesti-
mated and carries benefits that &C
crue to business and industry as
well as the farmer, it is a type OF
Federal activity that gets too little
public attention. It is not headline
news. Only when some new and
revolutionary discovery is made do
our people generally learn of the
effort made.
President Roosevelt has shown a
high degree of interest in the deve-
1opment of new uses of southern
agricultural products. In connec-
ton with pending legislation to es-
tablish a regional research labra-
tory for this purpose, the President
suggested that the states cooperate
to the extent of providing buildings
and grounds, saying: II consider
the aims ard purposes of the pro-
ject highly meritorious and would
be willing to favor the Federal
Government doing its part to fur
Their them"
More recently, the Government
has set aside 100000 to be used for
experimenting with a view to ex-
panding the use of cotton and cot
ton products. A wide variety and
novel fields are undoubtedly avail
able for the use of cotton, ranging
from Windbreaks to control soil
blowing to its use in the building OF
highways, which has won wide
spead attention.
There is some reason for the be-
lief that when new farm legislation
is drafted it will contain a provi-
sion for the establishment Of regio-
nal research laboratories to find
new uses for farm products. Where
those laboratories will be located is
yet to be decided, but whether in
North Carolina or elsewhere the
benefits to farmers VIII be equal.
There are many possibilities for
the extension of present uses of
agricultural products in industry.
Already research is underway that
indicates that large quantities Of
sweet potatoes may be used to man
ufactUre starches used in the tex
tile industry and now imported
New oils, new chemicals, can be
produced on the farm. Some che
mists say that there is even some
possibility of synthesizing rubber
from the forest product turpentine
New industrial products having
special properties are expected from
the processing Of vegetable oils
such as linseed, soybean and tung
oils. Industrial plants are always
on the alert for new chemicals and
means of producing them. There
is also hope that the Congress will
give more and more attention to
protecting the American market
where oils and chemicals now i'm
ported can be produced in this
country. Some progress has been
made and more laboratory work on
the part of the Government will
undoubtedly impress additional
members of Congress with the new
opportunities for benefits to the
farmer.
There is a growing appreciation
in Congress for the important work
being done by the men and women
in the Federal services who are
quietly going about their work of
aiding the farmer. The work of ex-
tension agents, the men who are
out fighting pests and insects, the
crop reporters and others, has never
been fully appreciated. Newer
agencies with their army of press
agents have been more in the lime