Show I Aids in Twining Turning Farm Crops Into Materials Vital in Defense Program By GREGORY WOOD Released by Western Newspaper Ne IP per Union WASHINGTON D. D C. C C.-As C. As Uncle Sams Sam's defense pro pro- program program program gram gains further momen momen- momentum momentum momentum tum Americas America's farms will supply an increasing quan quan- quantity quantity quantity lof Hof raw materials that will flow into factories and munitions plants as field crops and emerge in the form of essentially important sup sup- supplies supplies supplies plies for our armed forces The man behind the plow isas is isas isas as vital to our preparedness drive as the man behind the gun n. Agriculture will of 0 f course fulfill its primary job of providing foodstuffs for our armies and civilian tion It will also furnish manpower man manpower manpower power to o implement our fighting forces f And it will add addone addone addone one more important contribution tion that tion-that that of supplying prod prod- products products products of the field fi ld to be fabri fabri- fabricated fabricated fabricated into war materials Twenty five years ago when the first World war broke out Chem Chem- the the new science of transform- transform transformIng Ing ng farm crops into industrial prod prod- products was nets was not In existence Today It has made such strides that the funds of at both the federal govern govern- government government ment and great private Industries are backing Its development One Oneat of at Its potent economic values Is that it can help solve the ever- ever puzzling problem of at overproduction and surplus farm crops War time dislocation of ocean transportation has already Inter Inter- Interfered interfered ered with our supplies of at many standard Imports raising prices If It not causing actual shortage as it did during the World war w war r. r Chem Chem- may solve the problem of pro pro- providing provIding providing viding many of ot these at home Cornstarch Furnishes Glycerin Thanks to we have al- al already already ready eady made ourselves sustain self self sustain sustain- ing lag In the output of many products we lacked during the World war Take glycerin for example At the outset of hostilities we found our- our ourselves ourselves selves elves virtually without it because Imports from Europe were cut off Glycerin vanished from soaps In or- or order order der er to conserve it for the production of at f munitions Then science learned how low to make glycerin from corn- corn starch tarch Today the supply is unlimIted unlimited ted and the cost is lower Other important materials trace their origin to corn Corn syrup is used sed in the production of rayon the preparation reparation of ot Pharmaceuticals In I tanning aiming and in the tobacco industry Corn go Into the manufacture manufacture ture tare of high speed printing Inks mucilage explosives and glues lues Cornstarch is used in the textile paper and laundry Indus indus- tries Yeast dusting powder dyes and wallboard wall are other present or po- po potential potential uses A plastic made from gluten luten a residue of corn can be employed In making buttons lami- lami laminated laminated wallboards wall and waterproof varnish for paper Besides its pure- pure purey purely ly y industrial uses corn or its derivatives derivatives tives is used In the production of other food products including jams jellies ellies and preserves vinegar sal sal- salad salad ad oils table oils ice cream and cooking oils What has been done with corn is just one example of at the possibilities that hat chemists for numerous other farm products I r r t I I I v s sf f Typical of oj o f many products being produced through chemurgic processes are these automobile accessories made from soybeans Dr 0 O. E. E May U. U S. S D. D A. A chemist stands beside the display Milk or its byproducts products Is now being used In the making of at plastics and prints Chemists claim they can make cheap but attractive dra dra- draperies drap p rles and rugs from skimmed milk Clothing from casein Is being manufactured manu manu- manufactured manufactured by a process resembling the conversion of wood into rayon Cigarette paper formerly fo merly import Import- imported ed from Europe is being made from tram flax grown In Minnesota and Call Cali fornia All AU cigarette paper used to come from France Italy and Bel Bel- Belgium Belgium gium glum where it was manufactured from linen rags gathered In hi eastern Europe Now a n plant operating operating- at Pisgah Forest N N. C. C is working day and night using O tons of flax fiber requiring the output of more than acres annually Furfural made from oat hulls Is Isnow Isnow isnow now used In oil aU refining and in the processing of wood resin Anti Anti- Antifreeze Antifreeze Antifreeze freeze fluids and fuel alcohol come from rom cull potatoes Glycerol from animal fats is used In the production production production tion of at dynamite The production of at synthetic rub rub- rubber rubber ber her seems to be high on the road to success A hall half n synthetic sub sub- substitutes said said to be more durable than rubber itself itself are are already being be be- being beIng ing manufactured all of which promise to Increase our Independence ence of the supplies in the beleaguered belea belea- beleaguered beleaguered Dutch East Indies Alcohol is the base of several of these sub sub- Their successful commer commer- commercialization commercialization would mean that the starch from millions of acres of corn would be consumed Cotton Vital for Cor Defense There are scores of spots In the defense production picture where cotton flax soybeans wool molas molas- molasses ses and animal fats tats will find a place They are already extensively uti uti- utilized utilized utilized in the production of automobiles automo automo- bales biles and trucks and they will be similarly employed In the manufacture manufacture manufacture ture of at tanks gun carriages anti anti- antiaircraft antiaircraft aircraft equipment shells and oth oth- other other er implements of war Other novel developments are on the way or promised wherein air air- airplanes airplanes airplanes planes may come from the field In Instead in in- instead stead of the mine Radio cabinets and plumbing fixtures may be mere mere- merely merely ly a mould of ot soybean cakes A leading motor car manufacturer is said to be about ready to equip his cars with a plastic farm-plastic fender Weare We Weare Weare are told that an axe cannot dent this fender fendo It Is only a step from fender to automobile body or airplane air air- airplane airplane plane fuselage say there are no Insurmountable cles Iles The yield of ot perhaps millions of at cres z cres would be required for tor such sucha a grown farm farm grown car truck or air air- plane While science Is learning new industrial In in- Industrial industrial uses for farm products It ItIs itIs itis Is likewise expanding its its knowledge of soil so chemistry One thing learned Is that can work profitably profitably profitably bly for farmers only If It it is built on a foundation of high soil soU fertility Fertilizer Is Important Vincent agricultural re re- research research research search expert of Baltimore Md in ina Ina a recent address before the Farm Chemurgic conference in Chicago had this to say I can succeed only on farm land where plant foods are returned return cd to the soil solI In the form torm of commercial fertilizer at a rate which at least balances the amount removed each year by growing I crops and live stock Mr envisioned important important Important tant results looking not only toward a higher farm income but a perma perma- permanent permanent permanent nent productivity of the soil as the result of ot Increasing knowledge of the soil soU One of ot the most significant steps forward he said is that which helps the farmer learn more about his particular soil and its plant food tood needs State agricultural experiment experiment experiment ment stations are prepared to assist farmers not only in soil soU tests to de de- determine determine determine termine the proper fertilizer analyses ses for various crops but also inform them on the placement of at fertilizer to insure best results Whether our farm lands yield crops for industrial and defense uses or food for our armies the problem of maintaining the productivity of ot the soil soU is simpler today than it was In the World war Here again sd- sd scientific research can be thanked Twenty five years ago American farmers faced a serious shortage of fertilizers German potash leaped from 39 to over a ton Chilean nitrates grew dangerously scarce The painful experience of that pe pe- period perIod period brought some enlightening re re- suits Nitrates Made 1 In hi U. U S. S Research h and experimentation taught the United States how to tomake tomake tomake make its own nitrates instead of at im Im- importing Importing Importing porting them from Chile ChUe says a statement of the Middle West Soil SolI Improvement committee Thus to to- today today today day it is possible to obtain nitrogen from the air in unlimited quantities to combine with various other ma ma- materials materials materials In any form desired such desired such as ammonium sulphate ammonium phosphate ammonium nitrate ni ni- nitrate nitrate of soda urea and calcium nitrate not to mention by by- byproduct byproduct byproduct product sulphate of at ammonia for ammonia for our sources of fertilizer nitrogen We learned too how to get our own potash from deposits In the Southwest instead of Germany Our supply of phosphorus believed to tobe tobe tobe be sufficient to last 2000 years and the means of recovering it were as well weIl known during the first World war as today While our resources of ot potash are not so large as those of phosphorus they are believed to tobe tobe tobe be ample for some generations to come All AU things considered the Ameri Amen American can farmers farmer's task In backing up our defense program is a sized man-sized job And so 80 important docs does the United States government regard this chemurgic movement that it has un un- undertaken undertaken undertaken the establishment of at four great regional laboratories the first of which was completed recently at Philadelphia Others are arc being pro pro- provided provided provided vided at Peoria Ill In the heart of at atthe the corn belt at San Francisco and New Orleans Each will wilI eventually have a staff stag of who will make mak-e analytical and chemical investigations In Investigations in- in investigations commodity surveys and chemical engineering studies for tor the tho creation and marketing of ot new tex tex- textiles textiles tiles building materials insulating materials and plastics One of at the products on which chemurgic experts have been work work- working workIng ing recently Is castor oiL For years chemists have been seeking a meth meth- method od ad of using it in paint and varnish manufacture but castor oil has bas been of little use because it was sticky and slow to dry Now these them chem chemIsts fists have found they can dehy dehydrate drate castor oil aU remove moisture thus leaving a pale oil oll that dries to toa toa toa a hard film flIm and keeps Ito it pale color after long exposure Experiments under way trey in Texas Florida rida Louisi Louisiana I ana and Mississippi indi Ind Bate a te that tha t cas cas- castor castor tor brans can be grown here |