Evening star., 1941-12-28
Surplus Farm Crops
May Ease Shortage
Of Raw Materials
Grain May Be Important
Source of Alcohol to
Supplement Gasoline
BY OVID A. MARTIN.
Wide World News.


Wide World News.
American genius and inventiveness
find an opportunity in the war to
apply some of the proposed remedies
for curing one of the nations sever
est headaches-SurpluS farm prod
uctS.
During the last decade, agriculture
has been plagued by warehouses,
elevators and bins overfloWing with
supplies of cotton, wheat, corn. to-
bacco and other farm products
marketable only at ruinously low
prices. This situation was reflected
in economic instability in many
rural areas. neceSSitating huge eX-
penditures by the Government on
relief and price-insuring crop pro-
grams.
Scientists and technicians sug-
gested that this problem of surplus
would be solved, at least partially,
If new industrial uses could be de-
veloped for farm products. Much
laboratory work already had been
done along this line, both by govern
mental experiment stations and by
private industry.
But it has been one thing to dis
cover new use for farm product
and another to get it adopted by
industry Usually agricultural
raw materials were available at a
lower cost. or were more easily con-
Verted into the finished product.
Often there were other barriers,
such as transportation difficulties,
uncertainty of continuous supplies,
and failure of agriculture itself to
press the opportunity.
Corn May Be Used for AlchoI.
The war, however. may change
this situation. Raw materials
normally secured from abroad may
become difficult or impossible to
obtain. Normal supplies may be in
sufficient to meet the rapidly ex-
panding needs of war industry. AL
ready there are threatened shortages
in many essential raw materials.
Industry is turning to possible
sources at home. 1t is beginning to
adopt many of the suggestions OF
scientists for use of farm products
The most notable is the use of corn
IN making industrial alcohol. 1t is
quite possible that by the time the
war Is over. American grain, rather
than imported molasses. will be the
major source of the country'S alco-
hol supply, and possibly an i'm
portant source of supply for motor
fuel, as we'll.
Because of the possibility that
Philippine sugar supplies may be
cut OIL by the war, the Government
is considering plans to conserve Gu.
ban supplies by barring or curtail-
ing use of high-test molasses i'm
ported from that country in making
industrial alcohol. The molasse,
can be converted into either refined
sugar or alcohol.
Huge quantities of alcohol arr
needed for defense industries a.
well as for essential civilian needs
The Government already has taker
steps to encourage distillers to us,
corn in making alcohol.
Molasses May Be Displaced.
The Agriculture Department ha.
offered 100000 bushels of sur
plus corn to the War Department
for conversion into alcohol for mu
nitions. Officials say that $4,000,
600 gallons of alcohol can be pro
duced from that quantity of corn
Alcohol manufacturers have beer
slow to turn to grains as a raw ma
terial. They contend that importe,
molasseS IS cheaper and easier +
convert. This contention is bein
disputed by some farm leaders
using present prices of corn and mo
laSses as a basis of argument.
TechnicianS believe. however
that should the war require use O
grains. manufacturers would de
velop esefficient methods Whicl
eventually would place grains on
competitive basis with molasses an,
thereby open new industrial mar
ket for such farm products.
The chemical feasibility of pro
duclng motor fuel from agriculture
products has long been established
but the price relations have nc
been right. Authorities belev,
however, that the war, with its mon
strous requirements for petroleum
products, will hasten the day whe
motor fuels must be secured fror
substitute sources.
1t is possible that In the ever
the war is long. gasoline may
blended with alcohol made frol
farm crops SO as to defer the dal
of exhaustion of the Nations De
troleum reserves.
Starches Serve as Fuel.
The war has started scientists ez
ploring the field of solid fuels ais
Here starch offers an interestir
possibility 1t is produced on ever
farm in this country in the form (
corn, wheat. other grains, potato,
and other crops.
Scientists have learned throug
tragic dust explosions in flour mill
grain elevators, feed grinding plan
! and starch factories that whe
starch is converted into dust, mike
with air in proper proportions al
, ignited, it not only burns but e.
plodes with such force as to eau
havoc and destruction. 1t is n
unreasonable to assume, scientis
say, that such power may be ha
! messed to serve man.
q Agriculture Department labor'
= tories already have tried starch du
= on an experimental scale. Tn
| found IL MnlIld turn over q For