BRANDY FROM SAWDUST.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1318, 19 October 1872, Page 4

BRANDY FROM SAWDUST.

Among the most religions and highlycultivated nations, as well as those in the lower scale of humanity, the art of making something to get drunk on has always been a success; but the Americans are likely to be most successful of all. In the current monthly report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, it is announced that there is an immense waste of material in our sawmills, where the sawdust is thrown away, and that it is possible to produce from this dust a good article of brandy. It is suggested that the sawdust of pine and fir timber be mixed, and that a compound be prepared composed of nine parts moist sawdust, 33.7 parts of water, .7 of one part of hydro chloric acid, making 43.7 parts altogether. These are to be boiled under steam pressure eleven hours, when it will be found that nineteen per cent of the mass will be grace sugar. The acid is to be neutralised with lime, and the mash supplied with yeast. After 06 hours' fermentation a distillation of the mash will produce 61 quarts of brandy of 60 per cent strength, arid free of an j smell of turpentine. It is claimed that in all probability many other woods than pine and fir will prove even better adapted to the production of brandy. In the immense lumber districts of the United States, the sawdust is now practically lost. But if it, by the simple application of water, and seemingly less auxiliaries than are required for grain distillation, can be made to produce good brandy, the dust will become as valuable as the lumber. Brandy distilleries will spring up. in the neighborhood of alt the sawmills, .and tho pine forests will have a new value .given to them. The Commissioner of Agriculture publishes this statement as of an ascertained fact, and, if it be true, there is no reason why the mann> f acture may not commence al once.