The newspaper ad urging farmers to sell their straw to support the war effort. The straw was used as a substitute for wood pulp in the manufacturing of many kinds of papers and also as a substitute for metal and plastics in the manufacturing of special round containers for munitions and for food and drugs, both for the Army and for civilian use.
Submitted photo
BROOKVILLE — In 1943, farmers in Ohio had a valuable by-product on their farms that could be turned into quick money for them. It made a doubly valuable contribution to the war effort.
That by-product was straw and it was used as a substitute for wood pulp in the manufacturing of many kinds of papers and also as a substitute for metal and plastics in the manufacturing of special round containers for munitions and for food and drugs, both for the Army and for civilian use.
The Queen City Paper Company urged farmers everywhere within range of their mill in Tipp City, to save their straw and report their available straw supplies to them as a contribution to the cause of Victory.
They offered to pick up and bale every farmer’s available straw supply on his farm and pay him a good price per ton, or they would pay him extra to bale and haul his straw to their paper mill.
Wood pulp was being used for the manufacture of munitions and for airplanes. The necessity of using straw fibers as a substitute for wood pulp and also for metals and plastics in the manufacturing of special paper containers, the farmer’s straw supply was much too valuable to the war effort to be used for bedding or for plowing back as humus.
The Queen City Paper Co. asked the farmers using a combine to be sure to cut the grain low-as close to the ground as possible-so as to leave long fiber stalks in the windrows, so the bailer would pick up the maximum fibers possible.
One item they were making from straw fiber was the round containers with removable tops or caps commonly used for rolled oats, salt and many other important foods and drugs. These paper cans replaced important metals such as tin.
It was thought that the manufacture of paper substance from straw and from other vegetable fibers promised a new industry for farmers in the future. Many scientists were working toward future development of many of these vegetable fibers for use in certain manufacturing processes and of course for paper making purposes.
All information and the photo for this Look at Brookville article were supplied by the Brookville Historical Society. Do you have a photo or historical information to share or add? Please contact the Brookville Historical Society at 937-833-0285 or email to [email protected]
