The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1906-06-13
POTATO STARCH.
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7HE potatoes destined for starch
are first placed IN the potato

'o'hf WHY ihte dlt ibtdSuItus
for In the factories nowadays
hey have discarded the old style Of
weighing the potatoes. but get at the
7mount brought IN III much more
rapid mabEcr 10y measurement.
From, the potato house the tIbers
are put In 4 hopper in which they pass
down to the large room below. which
is tae va; room containing in this fac.
, tory three large vats. each capable Of
holding several logsheads. When the
potatCcs arrive in this room they land
IN II long trough called the masher
Now the process begins in earnest with
Tie thorough cleaning of the potatoes,
FOR The more complete the washing the
! 5ctte: the starch. Plenty of good water
! Is a prime requisite In a starch factory.
Connected with the washer are several
! p,pes which let in the water. The DO.
iatoes are pushed along the trough and
! enter barrel. where they are more
I thoroughly shaken up and washed, the
| barrel revolving.
Emerging from the barrel masher the
potatoes continue their Journey along
the masher trough, being pushed for
| ward by system OF revolving wooden
paddles which are set on iron shafts.
! little elevator now takes the tubers
, and carries them from the washer up
/ four or five feet. dumping them on top
of Il large revoiving iron Crater set in a
wooden drum. This crater has a brlst-
ly top similar to the housewives nut
! meg Crater. Up to this time the pota.
toes have retained their own form and
| have been subjected merely to clean
/ sing process but after coming into con.
! tact it is reduced 10 mass of grated
! pulp.
! The mass is now dropped Oh to
| sieve which works backward ald for
ward by machinery. The sieve is of
wire woven as firmly as possible and
it is bc"c that the starch is taken out
from the remainder of the pulp, which
will not pass through. Water is con-
stantly running on to the sieve and as
! sists in the work of wedding out the
! starch, which is very hne and will pass
almost anywhere that water will.
/ AS it passes through the sieve the
starch bears very strong likeness to
milk. 1t now passes on TO q bed and is
/ conducted through a series of troughs
into one of the large watts. the refuse
which was left behind at the gate be-
Ing dumped in the stream which flows
beneath the factory. The starchy
water can he turned into any of the
three large watts at the will Of the oper-
: ators, thanks TO 4 complete system of
! gates in the trough
In the vats the washing process is
continued. the mass being vigorously
stirred by stirrers, which are long
wooden planks attached to the end of
iron shafts. Nor is the cleansing COM
rlete even yet. the starch being allowed
to settle TO the bottom. which X will
readily DO owing To- its weight; the
water is pumped out, fresh water let
in and the process rcps ated. Then the
whole is rumped into vat known as
the settling vat, in the room above,
where it remains for some time.
The mass soon resolves itself into
three strata, Il thick white froth at the
top, then several feet of water and
lastly at the bottom the desired starch,
although us yet in very moist state.
There is generally from a foot 20 fifteen
inches Of starch in the bottom of the
vat, and this is arrived at ty pumping
out the water above. In order to pre-
vent waste the water pumped out is
conducted 20 another snail vat where
the settling process is repeated. The
starch is now shovelled by the work
men from the vat into whcelburrows
and conveyed 10 the drying house. This
is large room kept by cans of steam
radiators at great heat
There is somewhat over mile Of
steam pipes in use here, and the result
is a sitting Leaf that would soon over
come any one not used to it, When the
writer stepped into the room the tenn
perature was at 157 degrees, and al
though the employees can stay in it for
! hfteen or twenty minutes without any
apparent Inconvenience. it is difficult
TO understand how they can do so.
The drying room is called the kiln,
and upon arrival there The starch is
| placed upon large rack at the top of
the room. There are several layers OF
the starch, which have Sits in them.
and as the drying process proceeds the
starch is gradually dropped down the
scale, the heat being decreased at each
move: it finally reaches bed under.
meath racks and is then when adiudged
| thoroughly dried, raked off and sent to
! the storchouse. The drying is a very
{ particular piece of business. for not
over sixteen per cent. of moisture is al.
lowahle, and might mean a cut down
in price from the manufacturers. The
starch dried at this factory does not
, contain more than from six to eight per
. cent.
The process throug! which the starch
has now passed generally occupied
three days, one day for the washing
and grating, one for the pumping and
one for the drying. 1t can, however,
be hurried through much more rapidly
i need be. The starch remains IL while
In the starch house 10 cool before being
barreled up for shipment. 1t is shipped
i'll barrels which win scale about three
/ TO tic ton. Indeed, starch is pretty
heavy stuff, and II does not take much
on mass TO amount to several thou.
sand doliars.~-New England Grocer.
100000 For "a Shoemaker,
On Ap.ll 20 6. $. Moule was merely
a. llOtnnrnFf all. -.