Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1923-09-27
BEGAN THURSDAY
Prospects Are Bright

II you haven't been in Boone for
the last few days it is time for YOU
to come again, for there is something
new for you to look at. Out on the
West end of town there is something
new under the sun going on, at least
it Is new to most of US. 1t is a full
fiedged kraut factory running at full
speed. Last Thursday the factory
made trial start and ran at inter-
walls during the week, making one 25
ton tub of kraut. This week there is
a string of trucks and wagons haul
ing in cabbage and this wonderful
new plant is shaving them into kraut
that looks like a bank of snow. The
workmen are new of course at this
job, and it will take them little
time to develop their maximum eff
cheney, but even now they are MAX
ing about fifteen tons of kraut per
day.
The cabbage are first trimmed, re-
moving every speck of green or dam
aged leaf, then the core is sliced by
little machine made for the purpose
then they are carried on conveyor
belt to the cutter. This cutter seems
capable of handling as many cab
bage as car be put into it. The heads
are sliced so that the kraut is in
long delicate threads. This shredded
cabbage is then put into large cy-
press tanks which hold about seven
thousand gallons, where it is left
to ferment. 1t will be about month
before we can sample the product
but those who visit the plant believe
that at that time there will be enough
for all.
Later the power for this plant
will be furnished by steam engine
but at this time a Fordson Tractor
is running the thing, and Judging by
the steady purr that it sends up
from the basement it is tickled over
it's new job.
An up-to-date steam pressure can
ming plant is being installed that will
put up fifteen thousand cans per day.
This kraut is to be sold in tin cans,
eighty pound tubs and in barrels as
the market demands. The plant is in
charge of Mr.. H. Neal Blair who has
been in the kraut game all his life.
The people Of .Watauga thought he
had been manufacturing in whole
sale way, but we now find that his
business was a small infant compar-
ed with the present operations.
Mr.. Will Winkler is acting as the
salesman and has covered most of the
territory within trucking distance of
this place. Practically every store he
has visited has given him a trial Or
der and many have already given re-
peat orders, even before the first
delivery has been made. The manage
ment is certain that if the product
comes up to expectations that the
selling end will be the easiest part
of the game.
There is another side to this bus
mess that the grocers are not losing
sight Of. The manufacture Of kraut
makes it possible for the Association
to grade their cabbage, and put on
the market as cabbage, only those
heads that are medium sized, hard
and without waste. Such cabbage can
be handled by the groceryman with
out loss and the purchaser doesn't
have to trim away half of his pur-
chase.
This paper is no prophet but it
seems to us that unless there should
be some mismanagement this busi-
ness is destined to be one of Wat
auga's most profitable undertakings.
1t seems to US that if County Agent
Steele has done nothing more than
put this cooperative undertaking on
foot, that all expense of putting on
county agent work would be well re-
paid. We hear of cooperative market
ing in other sections of the country
in connection with cotton, tobacco,
peanuts, peaches, apples, oranges and
other things, but we believe that none
Of them will be worth more to the
farmers participating with than the
kraut factory will be worth to the
cabbage growers of the county.