Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-09-17
ITS VALUE ALMOST EQUAL TO
THAT OF WHEAT GROWN
IN STATE.
POTATO RANKS SIXTH
IN NATIONS CROPS
Government Reports That Iowa's An
nuaI Yield is Worth Almost $780,
ooo-other Countries Raise More
Than United states-Has Many
Uses.

Washington, Sept. 17.-Probably the
average Iowan who regards the po.a-
to as merely an adjunct of good meal
does not know the great value of these
tubers in the commercial world and
therefore may have wondered why the
United States government is so in
terested in increasing the potato pro-
,Guction of the country
1t may surprise the potato eaters to
know that the tuber crop is now sixth
in value of all the field products cf
the United States, ranking next to
corn, hay, cotton, wheat and oats, and
last year alone was worth close to
s2Oo,oOO,00O to the farmers of this
country. I'm Iowa, the potato crop of
1908 almost equalled in value either
the entire wheat or barley crop of
that state, being worth s6,76S,OOO &C
cording to government estimates.
Yet, great as is the potato crop of
the United States. Germany annually
raises nearly nine times as many po-
tatoes as does this country and France
and Ireland are almost equally as
large producers of the tubers. But the
German competition in the production
of potatoes for food is nowhere near
as serious to the farmers of the United
States as in German industry in the
manufacture of the tubers into various
articles for commercial purposes.
Starch, flour, alcohol deXtrne, glu-
cose, paper and cattle food are among
the leading products of the potato
under German skill. These products
are imported into the United States in
considerable quantities, nearly $780,
900 pounds of potato starch alone hav-
ing been brought in during the last
fiscal year despite the protective duty
of ~ cents a pounr which the Payne
bill retained.
Many Products From Potatoes.
The skill of the Germans in the
manufacture of various products from
potatoes is we'll told in a report which
Consul General Robert P. Skinner, of
Hamburg has just sent the state de-
partment. This report contains many
suggestions as to what might be done
with the potato crop of a state like
Iowa, especially if the growth of tubers
is increased to an average yield like
that of Maine, where the crop runs 22S
bushels to the acre, Consul-General
Skinner says that about 4 per cent of
the German potato crop of 45,000,000
tons, is used in the manufacture of
starch and it's by-products and about
per cent in distillation.
Starch and Dextrine.
In Germany, according to Consult
General Skinner, there are hundreds
of small concerns in the potato dis
tricts manufacturing potato strach and
ueAtrine. These manufacturers obtain
potatoes at from 80 to 125 pfennings
CLAP to 1915 cents) per unit of fi6ty
kilos or ITO pounds. The profits at the
factory are said to range from 40 to so
nfcnn,ngs t?.a to - cents) per bag
100 lllos (22O pounds.) The prices for
potato flour have fuctuated between
S3.3S and $50 per unit of 220 pounds
and for deXtrine between $3.Sl ana
STA, also for 220 pounds.
Potato flour is used in the manu-
facture of starch intended for lauu-
dry or other industrial purposes. 1t
is merely ground and manufactured as
starch usually is produced. The resi-
due, parngs cts, are utilized as cattle
food, and to some extent in the manu-
facture of paper. DeXtrine is produced
either by heating the dry starch 10 a
temperature of $50 to $50 degrees, eel
whereby a yellow or brown dextrine is
clrtaimed or by heating the starch
either wet or dry by means of acid
in small quantities, which produces
white deXtrine.
Potato starch may also be trans
formed in a syrup or glucose and the
latter upon being boiled and treated
with acid is converted into grape Suga. :
Potato glucose is used chiefly in bak-
cries and confectionaries, in rice mills
for polishing purposes, and is mixed
with sugar glucose to produce bonbons
and an Imitation honey. Grape sugar is
used principally in breweries for this
manufacture of coloring for beer, an.
is used also to add to the weight OF
leather.