The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-10-06
Ea silly Transformed
Into Dehydration
Plants, Saving Tons
of Vegetables Each
Season

- Ioou supply III &" Va" A"' ~
phasized heretofore. In one of the Daily
Consular and Trade Reports issued by the
United States Department of Commerce
appears this suggestive item:
AT least 5000 of the operating brew
cries Tin Germany have undertaken
some activity in addition TO the manufac-
ture of beer, such, for instance, as the
drying of fruit and vegetables, or the
working up of various food prepare
tons
What the Teutons have found practi
cable and helpful might be Followed by
America to advantage, and there are rea-
sors for believing that our breweries'
could be readily adapted TO the work OF
dcllydration.
according to figures supplied by the
Fuel Administration, the brewing indus.
try in the United States burns yearly
100000 tons of coal. 1t is not stated
whether this includes the drying of hops.
On the Pacific coast alone there are ap-
proximately $500 hop kilns, all located
in the richest agricultural districts. These
kilns could be used Just as well for the
desiccatiOn of vegetables or fruits. In
Switzerland, as in Germany, there has
been a notable movement in the direction
of converting brcweries into drying
plants.
Process Highly Developed Now.
Those who have followed the subject
carefully are fully alive TO the part
played by dried foodstuffs on the other
side of the Atlantic. In Germany the III
dustry has developed tremendously during
the last four years
To-day. Germany Possesses more than
200 factories devoted particularly 10 the
drying of potatoes, 80 corn drying es-
tablishments, 400 open drying plants
suitable for partly desiccating different
products, 80, vegetable desiccating fac
tories, - milk drying establishments and
400 plants used especially for the drying
of cabbage. German factories have at
present capacity for handling $4,000, 0DO
hundredweight of potatoes alone. Ont of
Germany's total of 800 malt kilns, POO
are equipped for the dehydrating OF
vegetables.
The German War Food Minister ere
ated the so-called German Imperial Office
for Vegetables and Fruits, which has.
supreme authority in regulating the work.
ing up of farm produce for commercial
purposes One of its principal functions
is to, supervise the activities of different
drying establishments and to see to it that
vegetables from districts where plants
are being overworked are distributed TO
other and less fully engaged factories.
Besides promoting the use of dried veg
etabIes, the Imperial Office for Vegetables
and Fruits has carried on very careful
experiments looking to the best method
for drying vegetables. Latterly the kray-
seska method has acquired prominence,
and it is used in drying eggs, fruit juice
and blood.
Not Subjected to Chemicals.
The dried product is in the form of
powder and viii keep for long time.
As the desiccatei substances are not sub
jeeted to a chemical process their treat
ment is rather simple, and they are readily
soluble in water. Drying plants of this
type are about to be erected in Berlin
and Bucharest, and they will be able to
treat daily something like 100000 eggs
each. ,ar.-. -.. --.- ff go. is'
A Chinese company at Yeneheng,
IIonan, China, has just completed plant
for the manufacture Of desiccated eggs ?
The dried milk industry is already -four 4,
fishing in the United States and could be
expanded to economic advantage. New !
Zealsnd has several plants built and
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