796 MAIZE 



CHAP, have been crowned with a large measure of success. Among 

 xvn - these papers are found parchment and document papers of 

 great strength and durability ; tracing paper of superior tenacity 

 and transparency, an effect of the natural gluten of the husks, 

 rendering unnecessary the present expensive process of its 

 manufacture and supplying draughtsmen with the cheapest 

 material known ; letter paper in various styles and in several 

 colours, with a smooth and polished but soft surface, which takes 

 the ink kindly ; ' chancery papers ' of great variety in size, very 

 heavy and durable ; beautiful silk paper of several colours, of 

 wonderful delicacy in structure and finish ; paper for the manu- 

 facture of artificial flowers, in lilac, rose, blue, green, and brown, 

 gossamer-like yet strong, weighing but 6 lb. to the ream ; and 

 cigarette paper, but little heavier, weighing but 7 lb. to the 

 ream. Of most varieties, both hand and machine papers are 

 produced. A peculiarity of this paper, due to the large pro- 

 portion of gluten it contains, is worthy of mention : placed 

 with common paper in water and left to soak until the latter 

 will fall to pieces by its own weight, the maize paper on trial 

 seems nearly or quite as tenacious as ever. The process of 

 manufacture is claimed to be simple ; the humblest labourer 

 can readily understand it with little instruction and practise it 

 with success. The cost of the husks (and it seems that leaves 

 are to some extent included) is from 32 to 56 cents per 125 

 English lbs. (per centner), or $9 per ton at the higher price, 

 which represents more the labour of gathering than the value 

 of the material. This is, of course, in the locality of their pro- 

 duction. The cost of extracting the fibre from 100,000 cent- 

 ners (6,250 tons) is' estimated: For coal and other materials, 

 $15,705; labour, $6,400; interest and loss, $4,296 ; raw ma- 

 terial, including local freight, $80,000 : total, $106,401 . To 

 this add for labourers and repairs to swell the total to $109,496. 

 The product is 10 per cent of spinning fibre, 19 per cent of 

 paper stuff, and 1 1 per cent of feed stuff, or 40 per cent in 

 all, leaving a loss of 60 per cent. The spinning stuff is worth 

 $64,000; paper material, $72,200 ; feed stuff, $1 5,400 : total, 

 $1 5 1,600. Deducting the expenses of manufacturing, a profit 

 of $42,104 is shown." 



. In the year 1908-9 the Natal Government, through its 

 Commercial Agent, received the following memorandum on 

 the subject from the United States Department of Agriculture 

 at Washington (N.A.f., Vol. XII, No. 2, February, 1909): — 



