The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1903-05-14
POTATOES IN GERMANY.
Nearly Fifty Million Metric Tons Pro-
duced by Germany Each Year.

y
part in the economy of Germany. Its
cultivation on a large scale in that
country dates from the latter part of
the eighteenth century, and was mainly
due to the influence of Frederick the
Great" says Boyce's Weekly. ''Its
present Importance as a wealth pro-
Queer will be inferred from the fact
that in the year 1901 one-eighth of all
the arabic land in the German Empire
was planted with potatoes, and that for
every 10000 inhabitants of the Father
land there were planted in 1900 100
acres of patatoes, as against 112 acres
in Austria, SO acres in France, 81 acres
in Great Britain and Ireland, and 1913
acres in the United States. The yield
of potatoes grew from 81, $4,000 metric
tons in 1896 to 4S, 687, ZOO metric tons in
1901.
'Through scientific fertilizing and
cultivation the planting, cultivating
and harvesting the potato in Germany
have been reduced to exact, practical
methods, and the general yield per
hectare has been raised by not less
that 80 per cent during the past ten
years. Instances are reported where,
by extensive cultivation under favor
able conditions, l4.4 metric tons OF po-
tatoes have been grown on an acre OF
land, while and tons per acre are
not unusual in practical agriculture.
1.-THE enormous yield is disposed of
in many ways. One-half of the crop is
consumed directly as human food. Ger
mans have long been in the foremost
rank as potato eaters. Among a very
large proportion of the laboring
classes, particularly in villages and
country districts, potatoes and dark
bread are the principal staples of daily
subsistence. In addition to this, by
reason of recent improvements in des-
locating shredded and sliced potatoes,
they have become a staple article of
food for the German navy and army,
and also for the colonists in Africa and
Asia.
1.-THE potato is also finding a large
and steadily increasing use as food
for animals and stock. Maize is not to
any extent product of Germany, that
which is used for fattening stock being
imported: and in so far as the potato
18th 1c
feed for animals it contributes directly
to reduce the sum of necessary imports.
AS feed for cattle, hogs, sheep and
poultry, potatoes are used, both raw
and steamed.
aside from alcohol, which forms
special category by itself, the technical
products of potatoes are mainly starch,
starch sirup, potato flour, dextrin and
starch sugar. In all these specialties
the increase of both production and ex-
port has been rapid and steady during
the past ten years. An incidental ad-
vantage of this group of manufactures
is that it leaves a large percentage of
food for cattle and swine.
"There are not less than 300 potato
starch factories in Germany. The lat
est convenient statistics, says Consul
General Mason, are those for the fiscal
year 1898, when the output was 49,
900 metric tons of dry starch, valued at
~
tons Of starch sugar and 10000 tons of
deXtrin, so that the total value of the
years output of starch products was
about 81, 100000 Incomplete statistics
for the working year 1902 show that
the product of starch sugar was 9,941
tons, starch sirup 49,269 tons, and
that the amount of potatoes consumed
as raw material for starch, strip, sugar
and dextrin was not less than 100000
tons.
las result of extensive agriculture
the potato crop of Germany reached
the danger point of overproduction in
1901, and the harvest of 1861, 900
Ae'AooN viz OIL 1OCAo p1OOlClu VI 1lON W
dispose of it without depressing the
market price. The first result of the
increased production of the potato was
tremendous increase in the supply of
potato alcohol. and special efforts were
made to extend by practical means the
use OF alcohol for technical and indus
trial purposes. These efforts were emf
nently successful, and potato alcohol is
finding increased use as a generator
for land and water motors, for heating
and cooking purposes, and for lighting
apparatus. The development of it's use
as means of illumination is particu-
}arly noteworthy. In lamps, chande-
Tiers and street and corridor lights al
cohol vapor is burned like gas in a
hooded flame covered by a Welsbach
mantle. Under such conditions alcohol
vapor burns with an incandescent