PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. . 249 



And when peace again shall occupy our borders, when our swords shall 

 be bent into plowshares and our spears into pruning hooks, and we shall 

 again be one and a united people, agriculture will occupy one of the 

 noblest positions in our country's history. 



Paper from Indian Corn Husks. 



Mr. McCormick. — I beg leave to present for your inspection a variety of 

 specimens of paper made from Indian corn husks, which have been for- 

 warded to the Department of Agriculture, with the following description: 



" The consequences of the enormous paper consumption are felt more 

 and more, because the paper manufacturers meet every day with greater 

 diflSculties to procure a sufficient supply of raw material necessary for the 

 working of their factories. The rags, which are mostly used for the paper 

 pulp, cannot be produced at will, like other raw materials. The supply is 

 confined, as well in regard to quality as quantity, to a certain limit, influ- 

 enced by the activity of the rag gatherers. 



" It is, therefore, evident that the moment must come, sooner or later, 

 when it is absolutely impossible for the paper manufacturers to keep pace 

 with the paper consumption, if they should not succeed to discover a satis- 

 factory substitute for rags. Indeed, their exertions have been directed to 

 this for years; and experiments, tried not without success, have proved the 

 existence of many materials containing fibers which might serve as a sub- 

 stitute for rags. But few are adapted for manufacturing purposes, partly 

 because most of them are too costly, and partly because they cannot be 

 produced in sufficient quantities. Only plants of culture are produced in 

 great quantities. Of these, the maize plant is the best adapted for paper 

 manufacturing. 



"In the last century two maize straw paper manufactories were in 

 existence in Italy, according to Dr. Joh. Christ Schafifer's Sd entliche 

 Fupiervei'suche, Regansburgh, 1172, but the process seems to have been 

 lost. 



"A certain Moritz Diamant, from Bohemia, directed recently again the 

 attention to the importance of the maize plant as a substitute for linen 

 rags, .and indicated a process for the transformation of maize fibers into 

 paper pulp. He presented already, in the year 1856, to Baron Bruck, then 

 Minister of Finance, a project with regard to it. 



"The imperial paper manufactory {Schlogelmuhle), near Gloggnitz, was 

 consequently ordered to make, under Diamant's direction, out of a certain 

 quantity of maize straw, paper. The produced paper was not satisfactory 

 in regard to quality; also the cost of manufacturing proved to be con- 

 siderably higher than that of rag paper. In consequence of such results 

 the ministry of the finances was obliged to stop further experiments. 



"Diamant, in 1859, made a second application to the Austrian Minister 

 of the Finances, Baron Bruck, who consented to have a second trial made 

 in the imperial paper mill, under Diamant's direction. Different kinds of 

 paper were manufactured, partly writing, partly printing paper, which 

 were not entirely satisfactory as far as quality was concerned. The cost 

 was yet, in spite of all exertions to reduce, considerably higher than that 

 of rag paper, which was principally caused by the great distance of trans- 



