THE’ PRODUCTION OF CORN OIL. 23 
seems improbable, however, and at the most would doubtless be 
only temporary. As to the utilization of corn oil, the consensus of 
opinion among those who are in position to know seems to be that 
within a few years the oil will be used almost entirely for edible 
purposes, except only that which is of such poor quality as to make its 
refining unprofitable. The sale of the oil in retail packages will very 
likely be further developed, and its use by bakers is also likely to 
increase. The amount of corn oil used for edible purposes in the 
future will be determined by the quantity available rather than by 
any question as to its utility. At the present time some bakers, 
while admitting that if is suitable for their products, use cottonseed 
oil because the supply of corn oil fluctuates so that it is not always 
obtainable in sufficient quantities. Although the supply is even now 
inadequate it is liable to become more so in the immediate future 
because of the decline in the brewing of beer. The elimination of 
the breweries removes one of the principal markets for hominy grits 
and flakes, and therefore the milling of degerminated corn is likely 
to decrease. As previously stated, several plants shut down in the 
winter of 1919. This was due in part, however, to the fact that at 
the close of the war there was on hand an oversupply of corn meal 
and flour. According to Bailey and Reuter,' there was a decrease in 
~1918 of 7,000,000 pounds of corn oil, and the 1919 production may 
show a further decrease. It is certain that the demand in this 
country for corn meal and flour is not sufficient to make a steady 
market for such products. In the Southern States, where the use 
‘of corn products is much more general than in other sections of the 
country, the supply is largely derived from mills which do not deger- 
minate the corn and hence produce no oil. It must not be under- 
stood, however, that the elimination of the breweries entirely removes 
the market for brewers’ grits, for in the manufacture of nonalcoholic 
cereal beverages the same material is required, but this market 
already exists, and there would need to be a great imcrease in the 
consumption of such beverages to make up for the decline resulting 
_ from the discontinuance of beer brewing. ‘The economic situation 
with regard to sugar also may be an important factor. The increased 
demand for corn sirups and other saccharine products may result in 
an increased milling of degerminated corn. 
HOMs Clie.) Da Le 
WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICH : 1920 
