The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-02-08
THE POTATO AS A FACTOR,


 The potato, past present and fu- ture, was the subject of a lecture re- gently delivered in the Educational Department of The National City Bank of New York before a class III International Trade and Commercial Geography.
 We have all respected the potato, said the lecturer, because 1t has been an extremely important source of the daily food supply of man in the occidental temperate zones, next in importance to wheat, though in the tropics and the Orient it has had lit tie consideration thus far. At present however we see great possibilities for it in International trade because man has recently learned the art of dry ing the potato in a manner in which 1t may be stored or transported long distances for food or animals, just as flour is now handled while it's future may include the operation of our au- tomobiles, flying machines and farm motors, and aid in the developme nt of the tropics which have been thus far undeveloped because of the in ability of the horse to perform serv- ice in the tropical climate.
 Most of the 6,000,00O,000 bushels of potatoes produced in the world are grown in Europe and North America. and represent a value of from $3,000, 100000 to S5,O00.O0O, 900 per annum. They have up to this time been of comparatively little importance from the standpoint of international commerce by reason of the difficulty of transportation and their comparatively perishable char acter. During the recent war, how ever, Germany developed the art of drying the potato in a manner in which it could be kept indefinitely, and transported as readily as wheat or flour, and the opportunity is thus offered to enormously increase the production and world distribution of this important and easily produced food supply for man and beast. The lumber of factories for potato drying in Germany increased from in 1903 to about 1000 in 1918, and they have an annual capacity for crushing 50,- 100000 tons of potatoes and turning them into flakes or cubes for animal food and various grades of flour for human consumption.
 With this new facility for turning the potato from Its former perishable state to. one in which 1t can be permanently stored and easily trans ported, the worlds great potato-pro- ducing area, now chiefly Europe and A rslI greater quantity of world food than at present.
 Equally important. perhaps more so, continued the lecturer, is the fu- ture of the potato in supplying mo- tive power by which man may now develop that great undeveloped area of the world, the tropics, and at the same time increase the transporta- ton facilities of the temperate zone and reduce the number of food con suming animals which this zone om- p1oys. Careful students of the inter nal combustion engine (which would include the engines of automobiles flying machines and farm motors and others of similar character) have many of them reached the conclusion that alcohol will prove not only 8 substitute for gasoline, but will in fact render service superior to that of gasoline when utilized with a properly constructed engine. Should the rapidly growing demand for pe- troleum and it's varied products re- cuire the world to turn to some other fuel for the internal combustion en- zine, it is at least comforting to know that we may produce alcohol from potatoes at the rate of from 200 to 400 gallons per acre, since the ex- perts state that 8 bushel of potatoes will produce a, gallon of alcohol and it is well known that potatoes can be grown at the rate of 200 bushels per acre In the United States and 300 to 500 bushels per acre in Germany which country in fact produces near ly one-third of the potatoes of t1o world where attention has especially been given to the production of the alcohol pota 0.
 The number of horses in the world today, said the lecturer, is about 140,- 100000 and they require for their sustenance enough land to produce food for 2OO,O0O,000 people. If we can substitute the internal combus- ton engine for the horse, we shall not only develop that great unde- veloped area, the tropics. where the horse is unable to perform service | but also release for the production of | food for man enormous areas now | utilized in producing food for horses which will then be no longer re- | quired.