Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-10-30
GERMAN POTATO FL AXE
ECONOMICAL UTILIZATION OF SUR,
PLUS CROP.
Profitable Animal Food Which viii Make
German Farmers Independent of
Foreign Feeds.

Consul John Il. Kehl, in the following
report from Stettin, gives an account OF
the German success in making potato
flakes for stock feeding from the super
abundant tuber yields.
Germanys annual potato crop for the
last seven years has averaged 43,U00,0OU
tons. The supply was, anG still is, con
siderably in excess of both household and
industrial demand. New channels had 10
be found to probably use up the surplus
and if possible, to save Il portion of the
TO per cent, of the total crop which an
nually goes to waste through lack of
proper winter storage and decay. During
l9tl the German Association of Alcohol
Manufacturers, the largest industrial CON
iumers of potatoes, took this task upon
themselves and organized branch t1
their association, to be known as the
Narein Deutscher Observation-Disclosures
German Potato Dryers association, to
be devoted to the question of using dried
potatoes III various forms for stock feed
To increase general interest in this
question, the alcohol association succeed
ed in raising from interested sources, in
Guiding two subscriptions from the gov
eminent, the sum of 10000 marks
(ST140) to be distributed as prizes for
the best methods of reducing potatoes
to durable stock feed. The conditions
were that the total cost of drying 100
pounds of potatoes should not exceed
5 cents, including fuel labor, interest
and depreciation; the last two items on
basis of 100 working days year, and
that large plants should have a mini
mum capacity of ten tons of raw pota-
toes in twelve hours; small plants two
aud one-half tons in the same time.
Some forty entries were made. of
which twenty-five failed TO answer the
requirements. 1t was noted that the sys-
TENS using fuel gas for drying purposes
We're operated at less expense than those
using steam. The present cost of pre-
ducing 100 pounds of potato flake is
from to 10 cents with gas and from u
to 20 cents with steam. These figures
could not be applied to American condi.
tons on account of wages, which would
be from 200 to 300 per cent. more than
are pait here.
The so-ealled ''paucksch" system for
producing potato flakes is. in brief ms
follows: The potatoes are washed then
thoroughly steamed, after which they
are passed between rollers heated to l4O
degrees Gel, equal to 2S4 degrees Fahren-
heit; the thoroughly dried crushed sub
stance in the shape of small flakes is
then removed from the rollers by station
airy knife blades and passed through a
cooling funnel, after which it is ready
for use or storing.
to flour consists of washing the pota-
toes. then, after crushing them into a
cold pulp, the matter is passed into a
gas or steam-heated drum for drying
purposes; when thorough, dry it is
spread for cooling and then ground into
-four.
There are many other systems. but the
brief descriptions given will suffice to
show the fundamental principles for
manufacturing potato flake and potato
-four
1t is now believed that the surplus
supply of potatoes can be worked up into
a nourishing and profitable animal food
product, with an unlimited disposing
field, and, according to optimistic opin-
ion, will make the German farmer indie
pendent of foreign feeds, particularly
American corn.
Within the next two years an attempt
will be made to export this article to the
United States. At present there ara
about one hundred and thirty potato
drying plants in operation throughout
Germany. Potato flake sells at So t.
$3.50 per 100 pounds; potato flour and
other forms of dried potatoes at S1.5C
10 500 per 100 pounds. Ii is estimated
that three and one-haf hundretlwcight
of raw potatoes are required for one
hundredweight of flake, and that the
steam dried fake is softer and whittier
than the gas dried article.
Fatato flake is said to contain so per
GEM. carbonic hyldride, with IT, per cent
amylum, and is readily eaten and easily
digeSted by all animals. Including rumi-
nants Two pounds OF potato fake mixed
with Eve quarts of milk and one pound
of linseed cake, is said to make an ex-
celleut feed for calves; for draft horses.
eight pounds of fake and four pounds of
oats mixed in addition TO hay; for fatten-
ing hogs, three and one-half pounds of
flake and four pounds of ground barley
mixed with water or sour milk is used;
mileh cows are given two pounds of
flake and two pounds of bran mixed in
addition 10 other feeds.
Polish women are now engaged at