New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-12-06
DRIED VEGETABLES AN AID TO GERMANY
Great Economy from Decang Potatoes Before They Are
Skinned TO the Arme a the Front-lmiaing
Process.

devoted to potato drying, and with the as
sistance of the government 240 new plants
have been established in Germany" and that
the establishment of plants for drying other
vegetables was reported.
Germany publicly claims to have had po-
tato crop last year which amounted to 1900
OOO,O 900 bushels but the drying of sliced or
cut vegetables by special processes is by no
means confined to potatoes. Special stress
IS laid on them in the German reports, since
the potato cannot be stored and carried over
from one year to another, is the case with
grains. Moreover, the fact that they are
easily frozen and once frozen are ruined,
made the problem of conservation serious
one in Germany. AS the water is almost en-
tirely removed from the dried fresh product
It will not freeze and WILL therefore, be es-
pecially useful in the winter campaigns.
! want to call your attention to one sta
tistical fact, which bears out the assumption
that Germany was preparing for war long
before it broke out The value of our eX-
ports to Germany in 1913 was 1891 6S4 .2l2.
In 1914 it was 1914, 794,276, an increase of
S13110,O64, which must practically all have
been exported in the first seven months be-
'ore the war. The exports consisted largely
Of foodstuffs.
Friends of preparedness in this country
will be glad to hear that the process of re-
moving water from fruits and vegetables has
reached its highest development in the
United States, and that the local product has
been tested out not only by the Army and
Navy departments. but by the New York
National Guard. Attempts have been made
to dry vegetables successfully in evaporators;
but the results have always been unsatis-
factory. The solution of the problem was
found in drying the products at such low
temperatures as not TO destroy any of their
original qualities.
In 1912 official tests of these products were
made by the navy, and they were recon-
mended in preference to any such products
heretofore used or tested By the navy. The
report of the Quartermaster General Of the
United States Army for 1914 said, in part:
After soaking and cooking, the vegetable
closely resembles the fresh product, and also
as to taste and quality. This new form of
treating vegetables makes them somewhat
like the old desiccated vegetables IN use in
The army in previous years, but superior in
quality and flavor. The saving in trans
portation in shipment Of these vegetables
Tor a large command would be enor-
nous"
1t - SomlOrtlHR 10 hno" thdt All lHese
branches of our national defence-the army,
the i.-tional guard Cat the school of applica-
ton at PeekskilD and the navy-are alive to
the new possibilities revealed by Germany
for their commissariats. The latter branch
would be likely to find this product especially
useful if it had to undertake any long vigils
like that of the British fleet in the North
Sea. Fresh vegetables, and especially onions,
are the specific against the scurvy, which is
apt to attack the sailorman too long at sea.
| have not heard that the German navy has
had any immediate use for these dry fresh
products. ROY MASON.
New York. Dec. /, 1915.