The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-04-26
POTATOES FORM IMPORTANT PART OF WORLDS FOOD Can Be Grown in Any Tenn perate Zone But Largest
 Part in Few Countries. DISTRIBUTION IS VITAL NECESSITY Potatoes May Now Be Pre- served in Condensed Form
 and Easily Carried.

The opening of the spring drive for further development of potato pro- auction 1n the United States was made the occasion of a recent discus slon or the worlds potato crop and it's future, in a lecture before a class in economies in the Educational De- partment of The National City Bank or New York. Recent developments, sald the lecturer, promise to greatly increase the importance of the potato as world food crop. While the potato supplies more starch food per acre than almost any other crop, it has been until recently considered of com paratively little importance in inter- national trade, or as food which could be stored for permanent use and widely distributed. But the exigen- cies of the war have sharpened the wits of the scientific world, and now 1t is found practicable to so preserve the potato by grinding and drying that it is transferred from the list of local and perishable crops to one which may be produced in almost un- limited quantities in certain areas areas and distributed to any part of the world.
 While the potato can be grown in almost any temperate zone area, nine tenths of the worlds crop of 6,0O0,- l 900, 900 is in fact produced in a half dozen countries, and almost exclu- siveEy in Europe and North America. | Germany, Russia, Austria-Hungary, France, Great Britain and the United States produce in favorable years about 5000, ,0OO,0 bushels of potatoes, while all the remainder of the world produces but 1000, ,000, 900. Yet these six countries producing fve-tenths of the worlds potato crop have only 45O, COCOON peoples. Thus fully two- thirds of the population of the world lives outside of the area growing that extremely important food plant, the potato.
 | The people of that section produc- 1 ing the worlds potato crop have at last learne1 how to put it into condl- ton in which it can be readily dis tributed in condensed form and avail able for food at any time or place, a great forward step in supplying the food requirements of the rapidly in creasing population of the world---for the worlds population has more than doubled in the century in which the application of steam to transporta- ton developed new producing areas and power to interchange their prod 11cts with the already densely popu- lated sections of the old world. 1 This new system of turning the po- tato into a. condition in which it can be readily distributed has, quite nat uralIv. developed in the country which sas the largest potato production or the world, Germany. Factories TOT the crushing and drying of the po- tato and turning the product into flour for man, flakes and cubes for animals, or alcohol for the chemical industry and also as substitute for petrol have grown from about dozen a few years ago, to over 400 III 1914, and $40 in 1916, with a capacity to turn into this condensed form more than 1,OOO,OOO,0O0 bushels of po- tatoes a year. The reduction in weight is about 50 per cent, while the product can be preserved almost indefinitely.
 Germany is by far the largest po-
  about 2O00,OO0,O0O out of the world crop of 5000, 100000 bushels, using them as a food for man and animals and the production of alcohol for use in her industries, and for the produc- ton of heat and power when neces- sary, Next in line is European Rus sia, with an annual crop of about l 1. .OO0, ,O0O OO0 bushels; Austria Hungary, 600 0OO, 600; France, 800, ,00O, 900; United States, 45O,O00, GOO, and Great Britain, 300, ,O00, GOO. These six countries, Ger many, Russia, Austria-Hungary France, United States and Great Britain produce in favorable years about 5000 900. .O0O bushels of potatoes for their 450,OOO,O OOO population, while the remainder of the world with l. 2OO, 100000 people produces but 1,0OO,- COG, 900 bushels of potatoes, anld there fore offers a new opportunity for in- ternational trade and industry, now that it is apparently practicable tc transform this important food product from it's bulky and perishable condi- ! ton to one in which it can be inded- nitely preserved and easily trans ported.
 . The value of our own potato croE in the United States last year was approximately s54,0OO,000 at the place of production, and yet the amount en- tering international trade was only $4,O0,000.
 Our potato crop averages about 9t bushels per acre, that of European Russia, 100 bushels; France, 1855 bush els; Austria, 15 bushels; United King dor, 19I hucbels an,7l Germany. 20t
 bushels and upwards per acre; hel
 large fiavorless potato grown chlehS
 for alcohol having reached and some
 times exceeded 800 bushels per acre.