The independent-reporter., 1910-12-01

and make them into starch, the prices
paid being perhaps below the cost of
production, but it saves to the farm
ers part of what would otherwise be
a total loss.
1t takes about 250 bushels of pota-
toes to make ton of starch, the aver
age being about 8 pounds to the BUSH
ell For 1000 tons of starch, 100000
bushels are required, and the making
of 10000 tons consumes 100000
bushels. In an ordinary year about
700 hands are employed for an aver
age of about 40 days and the item of
wages at present rates would go over
$4,000 The starch making season
commences early In September and
generally closes some time in October,
corresponding of course, with the po-
tato digging season.
The getting out of cooperage stock
and the making of the casks for hold
ing the starch is one of the incidentals
of the business. This work is done
in the county and gives employment
to quite number of hands. The
heading is usually made of spruce and
the slaves of spruce orTir.
Potato starch is principally used for
sizing in the cotton mills and bleach
cries of the country, and not for laun-
dry purposes, so the demand for 1t Is
very largely governed by the condi-
ton of the cotton manufacturing in
dustry. AS starch does not deterior-
ate, 1t can be held for better prices
when the demand Is slack.
One of the most interesting pro-
cesses is in watching the making of
starch. The potatoes are received
from the team and dumped into the
hopper, passing on from that to a re-
volying tube twenty-eight inches in
diameter at one end, thirty three inch
es at the other end, and making about
seventy-five revolutions a minute. A
stream of water under pressure is
applied to this tube, which removes
the coarse dirt from the potatoes as
they pass on to the washer which is
supplied with streams of water by the
pumps, and here the potatoes are
washed perfectly clean.
From the water they pass on to an
elevator which carries them to the
crater. The crater Is made of wood,
with iron heads, and Is covered with
crater iron. 1t is twenty-six inches
In diameter, four feet long, and makes
500 revolutions per minute. The
grated potatoes fall upon fine brass
wire sieve, and the starch. being
washed out by streams of water, falls
through the sieve into a tank below,
while the pumice passes over the ends
of the sieve, and SO onward into the
river.
The contents of the tank Is pumped
into the settling vats where 1t Is al
lowed to remain from six to eight
hours, according to the temperature of
the water, in order to settle. The
starch settles to the bottom and the
water Is drawn off. The starch Is
then shoveled over into watts provided
with huge stirrers. Fresh water Is
pumped in, the whole Is thoroughly
mixed, and again pumped up into set
tling watts. Here 1t Is allowed to remain
twenty-four hours to settle. The wa
ter Is then drawn off, the good starch
having settled to the bottom. On top
there Is an impure starch which Is
called grains This impure starch Is
put into a vat called the grain vat,
fresh water Is applied and the whole
thoroughly mixed, and then the con-
tents are allowed to settle. The por-
ton that does not settle Is run off
into another vat which is provided
with a stirrer and which has vents,
one above the other. The pure starch
will settle towards the bottom, and Is
found and drawn off by means of
vents.
All the starch Is allowed to remain
until the following day so that the
water, still remaining in the mass of
starch, may separate and rise to the
surface. This water being drawn off,
the starch is shoveled out, thorough
ly pulverised, and then distributed on
racks in the dry house. After batch
of starch is put upon the racks, the
kilns are closed, the ventilators are
opened, the steam turned on and the
process Of drying goes on rapidly. For
the first twelve hours the temperature
is kept at about 100 degrees Of heat;
the balance of the time the heat is
increased to 1870 or 200 degrees. The
process of drying requires about
twenty-four hours. The tables be-
meath the racks, on which the starch
falls, are made of indurated fiber
board, and are not affected by heat
or moisture. The starch, as 1t leaves
the dry house, should not contain
above fifteen per cent Of moisture.
The starch is next conveyed to the
storehouse, the lower part of which
is one large tightly sealed room, and
dumped in, where 1t is allowed to cool.
1t is then put into casks, ready for
storage or shipment