Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1913-12-25
SHOULD INCREASE
THE POTATO CROP
Robert M. McWade.

Washington, Dec. th:-HOuSeWivcs, rs
well as farmers all over the country, Will
learn with some concern the authrOl'i i've
statement of Uncle Sans experts that
the American potato crop should be ma
terially increased, and, if at any time
there should happen to be a surplu pro.
us about valuable lessons which may he
learned from Germany, where Doratoes
are used for stock food, for making starch
and alcohol, and also dried and kept
from season to season. Those are les
sons worth something to us all in dol-
lars and c ents.
The prime necessity of protecting the
American potato industry against the
Introduction of disease from foreign
places upon this nation the responsibility
of producing its own future supply---an
unquestioned fact, which means that
the country must continually produce
more potatoes thai it needs for home on
sumption. The profitable utilization Of the
surplus so produced is of vital Importance
to the success of the industry, as is point
ed out in Department of agriculture Bull
letin No. AZ just issued. This bulletin
ers to the facts that they may obtain
valuable lessons from Germany whose
potato acreage is more than double that
Of this country and the crop harvested
more than four times our total.
The great problem in this country is
how a surplus of potatoes might best be
disposed Of once the production has been
increased, and il We Took to Germany
for our lesson we find that their surplus
potato crop is used as stock food. for
making starch, for the manufacture of
alcohol, and for drying. In Germany the
potato-drying industry is he last dcvel-
opment in the utilization of surplus po-
tatoes and in one year recently oVer
twelve million bushels We're dried in fac
tories. This industry should particularly
n1nTit 4 no nnnSi6rIsl tiOn a. nf III nanfllf.
Dried potatoes have been fed with COM
plete success, as q substitute for corn,
not only to cattle but to horses as well.
To make potato.drying a profitable in
lens to be met would be the expense of
picking up and delivering to the factory
of culls and other potatoes not market
able for table purposes. This is because
of the present cost Of labor. In many
cases, however, labor already is ncces-
sary n Is used to remove these cufls
from the field to prevent the spread of
potato diseases.
In Germany the industry has proved
such a satisfactory solution for taking
care Of the entire surplr~ cror that Ger
farmers now sc k to plant a max
imum acreage without fear that their
various markets will be o~ver-supplicd.
The feeding of potatoes to swine makes
one Of the important uses in Germany.
and nearly 40 per cent Of the entire
I4 10 - VSC III allIdS Ndy."At
is quite probable that eventually the
United States will find a similar use for
the American surplus crop. 1t should be
mentioned, however, that the potato is
merely one component Of a carefully
planned ration with the German farmers.
The potatoes are cooked and mix d with
various farm by-products, such as skim
milk, barley waste, linseed meal, pea
nut meal, etc. The quantity Of pota,
toes recommended to be fed daily to
n NIL Ia lnP - nc. ar N. II \. L.,.1 l.
is estimated that potatoes nave a value
Of rs cents ner bushel for direct feed
ing. The difficulty in American potato
is that the agriculture is not
vet sufficiently diversified: the swine
are not there to be fed. This will how
ever, be overcome as time passes a d
farm practices become better organized,
then very large quantities of potatoes
could be so utilized.
Potato Starch and Potato Alcohol II. 4
twenty million pounds Of rotato starch
annually. and have made large importa-
lions from Germany besides. This pOta-
to starch is preferred in this country to
corn starch for sizing in cotton mills.
Economic improvements in the introduce
ing of new factory methods and increas-
ing. the quantity Of potatoes used should
make this industry a more satisfactory
At present, the margin of profit is
not large. Even with a protective tariff
VI 4Uiie CeIl per DOuT1u.M cdcIOElGS EslTG dDle
to run only six weeks in the year which
makes the interest and other overhe d
charges hieh. The manufacture is now
confined to the utilization Of culle and
of POTATOES partially infected with tuber:
rot. There is a possibility that a method
may be worked out for the drying Of
culls and surnlus snotatoes or the farm
before used for starch making.
Tho manufacture of alcohol from DO
tatoes has not yet become established in
the United States as the price of pota-
toes marketable for other purposes has
been too high. However, this method
might well help a Tx care of a sIrnlus
crop, II such n surplus We're produced in
this country.
In Germany the price Of POTATOES for
distilljng, between 1906 and 1910, averag-
ed 1873 cents per bushel. An indirect
benefit from the manufacture Of potato
alcohol is the feeding value of the mash
left after distillation \, tn the rapid in
crease in the use Of INSTRUMENTATION
engines for automobiles and other pur-
poses and the decrease Of orr present
supply Of petroleum. it may soon come
about that the manufacture of potato,
alcohol will be n !Eayin~ industry.
While these nses for surplus potatoes
are not perhaps Immediately practicable.
the fact that Germany has discovered
them should assure our farmers that
notato growing need not he q speculative
enternrise but that any surplus may be