The Greeley tribune., 1904-04-28
THE STARCH FACTORY
Why Greeley People Should En-
courage Industry.


Greeley to take care Of the large
quantity of small potatoes that goes
to waste each season because OF theit
uumarketnble size. These rumofs
will now within few weeks blossom
into actual fact. The factory Will
be built The size, style, location
and capacity have all been decided
upon. All the details have been
worked out by DR.. S. r. cppenhelm,
who for some time has been CHIEF
chemist at the Greeley sugar plant
out who has an experience OF many
years in the starch business and VINO
will be superintendent Of the new
factory.
The plant will be located alongside
the Union Pacific railroad tracks and
will have capacity OF 100 tons OF
potatoes day, giving 40 600 pounds
of starch. This will be one OF the
largest potato starch factories in the
country and the only one between
Wisconsin and the Pacific coast. BY
the installation of the most improved
machinery and latest methods in
potato starch making the factory viii
be able to have starch ready Tor mar
ket ten hours after the first potatoes
are ground up, while by the Older
and cruder methods employed in the
Wisconsin and other factories it
takes at least fourteen days TO dry
the starch.
The main building containing the
machinery will be s5x4O feet, % feet
high. Forming an ST. with this
is the potato storage and supply
house 1t is Of the same dimensions
as the main building, except that 1t
Is only Is feet high. 1t will be built
frost proof and have storage capac-
ity Of 1900 to $500 tons. 1t will be
set five feet into the ground and the
concrete floor will have slope OF two
feet from each way to the center,
where the conveyOr will! he set In
the ground. The best unloading
facilities will be provided.
By actual tests made by the AgH-
cultural college at Fort Collins the
percentage of starch in the Greeley
potato is - and more, and DR..
Oppenhelm has even found as high
as % per cent. The best the Wis
consin potatoes Will run is 10 per
cent, and the potatoes there will
average higher in price. The differ
ence in quality in favor OF tue Greeley
potato is laid to the greater altitude
and the continuous Colorado sunshine.
The Greeley Starch company therefore
estimates that the Greeley potato |
will average 20 per cent st"rch,
which with the improved and cheaper
methods Of manufacture will give 1t
an enormous advantage over other
factories of the country.
Strange as it may seem, Wisconsin
is about the only state in the Union |
where potato starch is manufactured
on a large scale, owing largely to the
lack OF cultivation of potatoes upon
large scale in any OF the other states.
The manufacture OF corn starch Is
one of the best paying industries in
the United States. 1t Is conceded
that potato starch is in ever way
superior to corn starch. For cooking
purposes it has not the bitter taste
that is caused in corn starch by the
presence Of considerable quantity
of bitter oil in the germ. OF course,
for laundry purposes this makes no
difference, but potato starch is the
only kind suited for the manufacture
of dextrine, which is used In large
quantities for cotton printing, cot
ton sizing and for the best mucilage
next to gum arabic Potato starch
always sells for about cent more
pound than corn starch.
There is an advantage in having :
starch factory in this section that
but few would think of. Where
potatoes are too small for the market
demand they are as a rule left in the
field. These culls rot and tend to
spread fungi, sca5 and other germs
that are destructive to potato cul-
ture. But with tacuory here all
| those small potatoes would 20 into
starch and none left in the field to
contaminate the soil and air.
The Greeley Starch company is in
corporated under the laws of Colorado
and has capital stock of $50, OUO.
divided into GOO shares OF SlOO each.
z q
900 These are fve-year gold bonds,
placed with the International Trust
company OF Denver. To investors
with each 500 worth Of bonds will
be given 800 worth of stock as a
bonus. The stock pays four per