The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-10-12
Flour, Starch, Ensilage and Dried Flakes
Made from Tubers.

In o country the size of the United
States it is rare that any crop is COM
plete failure in all regions in any one
season. except such crops as are section
al as cotton, sugar cane, and in SEINE
degree, wheat and corn. Such a crop IS
potatoes. which is grown successfully
in almost every state in the union and
flourishes in climates ranging from
Maine to the Far South, is almost sare
to produce in the aggregate all that the
nations l00,000,000 population will need.
But that does not mean, particularly
IN war times, when transportation is
scarce and high, that all the inhabitants
will have ample supplies OF potatoes
at reasonable prices. or that the farmer
with a bumper crop IN the far west.
where all his neighbors are likely to be
as well served by nature. will be better
off than The Maine farmer who may have
half a crop or less the same season. OF
ten bumper crop has been the undoing
of all the growers in & state, when local
prices dropped far below the cost Of the
| fertilizer used, to say nothing Of seed,
I labor, interest on investment etc. Inc
/ potato does not lend Itself well TO long
/ shipments in winter. though potatoes
/ have been brought from Egrppe and sent
| from America 70 Ireland, hence th2 diff
Guilty of distributing a crop TO the re-
gions where it is needed.
But modern methods and devices ere
Irapidly overcoming this bumper crop
danger. and the farmer may look with
complacency upon any food Of tubeYs
his fields may bring forth This changed
condition has been very largely brought
about by tha war and its demands fer
foods and substitutes for foods. Potato
flour was almost unknown iii America
four years ago, EXCEPT by fancy bakers
and expensive hotels and restaurants
where it was used in producing pastry
novelties And when the little that was
used bore the package imprint Made n
Germany"
Mr.. Hoover's call to the food par
veyors and consumers to use wheat sub
stitutes brought potato hour iato no.
tice, and the demand thus created HIS
resulted In not few potato -four m.lls
being built and others projected III r
gions noted for their potato yields.
Potato starch is another comparatively
new article Of commerce. easily producee
and useful IN flany culinary processes
But perhaps tRs greategt innovation foi
lsaving potatoes is the Introduction q
drying or dehydratng on a larPn scale
Scarcity of Slipping has moved The gov
eminent to use dellydratcd retatocs ex
Eclusiyely fer its forces in Europe aAt
millions Of pounds of Tho, dried tubers
all ready to be- eaten with the mere ad
dition of little water, have been sen
abroad the past year. Fruit and veqe
table Gamers and drying establishment
I that formerly dried only fruits hav
found that their plants are suited to dry
ing potatoes and that by adding pota
toes to Their output they may kpe
their factories in operat on practical
{ throughout the year whare formeri
there was at best only q sea sonal bias
ness. Another great advantage Of th
dehydrated potato is that it keeps a
most indefinitely and the surplus of
big crop year can be shared and ken
against lean years The bulk and weigh
J are reduced to about oae-tenth of til
u original tnber so THAT the Brctl''ct seali I
lie shipped for much less than before I
markets where there is a heavy demanr