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total acreage. Much more extensive areas are known to exist in Borneo, and the lumbering concern mentioned above is planning to utilize these for the production of alcohol. To equal the equivalent of 5,000,000 gallons of gasoline produced in the United States in 1920 would require an area of more than 50,000 square miles. If all the tidal swatnps of the IndoMalay tropics were planted to nipa the area available would probably fall far short of this. Nevertheless the possibilities of utilizing the present areas and enlarging them for the production of alcohol is worth considering. WILD GRASSES-About 40 per Cent (48,000 square miles) of the deforested area of the Philippines is covered by two wild grasses, uiz., cogon (Inzperata exaltata), known in other parts of the Malay regions as langlang grass, and talahib (Saccharum spotttaneum). Experiments indicate that these, especially cogon, compare very favorably with esparto grass in regard to yield of Pulp, averaging about 45 Per cent by the soda Process. The cogon is a grass 5 or 6 feet in height and is found in the drier soils, while talahib, found in the damper soils, reaches a height of 9 to 10 feet. In some Parts these grasses could be made to yield two crops per year. Unfortunately, no figures a r e available for their average acre yield. In other Parts of the tropics there are large areas covered with grasses that might be suitable for Paper making and possibly alcohol, among which may be mentioned the cana brava (Gyneriuin sagittaturn), a large bamboo-like grass found throughout t h e moist tropical climate of America. It is cultivated in many parts, especially Columbia and Venezuela, for construction purposes. AGRICULTURAL CROPS Unfortunately, reliable average statistics concerning the cultivation in tropical regions of strictly staple agricultural crops are not available. The figures given below are therefore subject to correction as additional information becomes available. CASSAVA (Maxihot)-Cassava is a woody plant 4 to 10 feet in height whose roots contain large quantities of starch. Crops can be grown in 6 months, but the best results are obtainable from 9 to 11 months. Figures on the yield per acre vary greatly, but reliable figures from Florida,? British Guiana,8 and Brazil,B indicate 10 tons per acre as an average. This would vary according to soil conditions, According to the Imperial Institute,@the yield per ton is 30 to 35 gallons of 95 per cent alcohol. The cost of the raw material in Florida before the war, delivered at starch factories, was $6.00 per ton, but in tropical regions it is probably much lower than this. Costs and yields are tabulated in Table 111. TABLE 111-COST AND YIELDS OF CASSAVA 10 tons Yield per acre of roots 65 Cost of raw material per ton 30 gal. Per ton yield of alcohol 300 gal. per acre yield of alcohol 1V/a cts. Cost of raw material per gallon of alcohol Acreage necessary to raise the equivalent of the 1920 27 000 000 production of alcohol in u. s. (about’40,dOOsq. mi.)
It is the author’s opinion that of all agricultural crops this is one of the most promising to investigate for the production of immense quantities of alcohol, since with improved methods of cultivation the yield per acre could undoubtedly he increased considerably. CORN (MAIZE)-ThiS crop is extensively raised in the tropics but exported to only a slight degree. Mexico stands next to the United States in acreage of corn, but follows Argentina in actual amountproduced. The average production per acre in the United States is about 25 bushels, in ti^^ (nottropical) I s. M. Tracy, “Cassava,” U. S. Department of Agriculture, FarmBulletrn 167 (1903). I J. B. Harrison, “Food Plants of British Guiana,” J. Board of Agr. of Briltsh Gurunu, 10 (1917), 143. o “Cassava as a Source of Industrial Starch and Alcohol,” Bull. Imprid Insfilulc, No. 4, 17 (1919). CYS’
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it is 27 and in Mexico (mostly highlands) it is 14 bushels; the methods of cultivation, however, in the last named are not conducive to high yields. I n British Guiana, where 4 months are necessary to raise a crop, 18 to 25 bushels per acre are said to be the yield.’ Possibly two crops per year might be raised, With a production of 50 bushels, the same amount of corn would be raised in the tropics as in the United States, on an area one-half that in our own country, This high rate of production would seem somewhat problematic in view of various factors operating against it. RICE-In the tropics the rice crop usually takes four to five months to mature. Where the rainfall is sufficient it can be grown without irrigation. It is probable that if the, proper amount of soil moisture could be had, say by irrigation, two crops per year could be obtained. COTTON-while cotton is of tropical origin, most of the world’s production comes from the North Temperate region. Contin. uous rainfall and much cloudiness is detrimental to growth of cotton; hence very moist tropical regions are not suited to its production. In regions subject to drouth irrigation is necessary. While there are many extensive regions in the drier parts of the tropics that could be made to yield larger amounts than they are now doing, it is probable that the production per acre in the tropics cannot be increased Over that of the best portions of our own cottonbelt. SUGAR CANE-ThiS is essentially a perennial crop. In Cuba and the tropics five to ten crops are, in general, obtained from one planting, fully twelve months or more being necessary for the maturity of a crop. In Louisiana the best yields are obtained by planting annually or biennially since winter frosts damage the stubble; hence varieties must be chosen which mature in six to seven months. Black-strap molasses from refining sugar is the Present source of most of our industrial alcohol. SUMMARY The above is an incomplete review of the possibilities of the tropics to produce crops of foodstuffs and wood capable of application to the manufacture of cellulose and alcohol. Little or nothing is known of the possibilities of many of the wild forest products for the manufacture of pulp suitable for paper making, or the amount of alcohol that they will yield by distillation or by fermentation processes. Until we find fast growing Species suitable for these purposes it is nonsense to talk about producing them on a large scale. The few figures given serve merely to indicate the possibilities and are based on admittedly limited data The evidence, however, is conclusive that the tropical sun has the power to store up more energy in the form of cellulose in a given time than has the temperate sun, and if this is in a utilizable form it remains for the ingenuity of man to overcome the difficulties of profitably applying it.
American Metric Association The American Metric Association held its annual meeting in Toronto, Canada, December 29, 1921. The Canadian members present were unanimous in the opinion that the passage of an effective metric bill by the United States Congress would soon be followed by similar action in the Canadian Parliament. Prof. Henry G. Bayer of New York University discussed “The Evolution Of Metric Weights and Measures.” Edward Richards and other members of the Society of American Foresters spoke on the “Application of the Metric System to Forestry.” Prof. E. C. Bingham reported that through the cooperation of the Association with the American Chemical Society and other organizations three hundred of the universities and colleges had agreed to order their supplies in metric units. Manufacturers and dealers have been found very willing to fill orders in this manner.
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