The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1921-07-15
HOW ELIZABETH CITY MAY TURN
ALARCE WASTE ITEM TO PROFIT
Splendid Opening Cited For Factory to Convert
100000 Bushels Of Gull and Decayed Pota-
toes Annually Into Valuable Starch

In round numbers, about Co.,
oOO bushels of Irish or white DO
tatoes are raised in the Eliza
beth City territory annually. By
the Elizabeth City territory is
meant only the county of Pas
qr1otank, Camden and Currituck,
no account being taken of the
larger yield i'll the counties of
Washington, Tyrre11 and Beau
fort.
Of the 100000 bushels of po-
tatoes raised in the Elizabeth
City territory there are $4,000 to
100000 bushels Of cu11s and part
ly decayed stock for which there
is no satisfactory market. Thou
sands Of barrels of potatoes
have been left in the fields to rot
this season or have been carted
off as garbage. How these cu11s
and decayed potatoes may be
proftably utilized is a question
which this newspaper recently
suggested to the Elizabeth City
Chamber of Commerce and Sec
retary Job of that organization
is obtaining a vast amount of
information on the utilization of
this vast product.
From facts and data furnished by the
Department of Commerce and the Bu-
reau of Chemistry of the Z. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, profitable use
may be made of what is now great
annual waste in this section. There are
three products that can be proftably
manufactured here from Gull potatoes.
Those products are potato -four, alco-
hol and starch. The manufacture of
starch is believed to be the likeliest op-
portunity for some local investor be-
cause of the inexpensive equipment
needed for a starch factory, and the
fact that decayed potatoes yield good
starch.
y
is not a potato starch factory in the
East south of Aroestek County, Me.
where potato starch is produced at the
rate of 2O,OOO,OOO to 25,OOO,OOO tons an
nually. This sounds like lot of starch,
but it doesn't begin to meet the market
demand The United States imported
19, ,139, ,115 pounds of starch valued at
81 ,O16, ,796 in 1920, the bulk of which
was received from Japan.
The yield of commercial starch from
Gull potatoes is about Is per cent of
the weight of the potatoes, or nine
pounds bushel. Smaller yield occurs
when partly decayed, over-ripe or
sprouted stock is used, but such mate
| rial will make starch of fair quality.
The price for potato starch at present
is cents a pound. Starch factories in
Aroostook County, Me. pay the farm
ers 9 cents to II cents a bushel for
their culls.
The simplicity of the manufacturing
processes, thes low initial operating
costs of a starch factory, and the fact
that the factories are not subject to
rapid deterioration when idle, make
potato STARCH the uOSL dI-
tractive of all the utilization methods
proposed for the potato. All grades of
potatoes, even rots, yield starch of good
quality and potato starch finds a wide
market in manufacturing and as a food
starch.
Inexpensive buildings are required for
starch factory. The manufacturing
process requires only the crudest sort
of grinding and washing machinery, the
starch being extracted from the pota
toes by series of washings which pre-
cipitates the starch from the potato
pulp The starch settles in the bot
toms of crude vats while the refuse
washes overheard, the starch factory
usually being located on the sloping
bank of a stream.
The average daily capacity of
starch factory is four tons a day and
only a small amount of unskilled labor
is required to keep a plant in opera
ton.
Local capitalists who may be inter-
ested in further information about the
manufacture of starch from potatoes
will find a complete file of information
on the subject at the Offices of the
Chamber of Commerce.