Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-10-18

A rare industry has found birth in
Augusta, a retail potato chip bust
ness. which is doubtless one OF the
few In the State and without doubt.
IL the only one conducted solely by
q woman.
It all started in Mrs. Jessie Her
sey's kitchen at 20 Gannett street,
when only seven months ago she hit
upon the scheme to make orange
marmalade to sell. Then sailed nuts
were added and later potato chips.
Today she Is still doing business but
not at the same stand, because her
enterprise has grown beyond the
home limitations and Is nicely in
stalled In new quarters at 81 Cony
street-an upstairs rent in one of
those newly erected buildings, bright,
clean, new. attractive.
From the family preserving kettle
to a 30-gallon kettle is some jump
In seven months. But in her new
place OF business. Mrs. Hersey Is
able to prepare 80 gallons of orange
marmalade at time. She can also
have turned out for potato chips.
cut and ready to drop into the hot
fat, a barrel Of spuds in 20 minutes.
And $50 boxes of potato chips can
be prepared a day.
During the past summer. Mrs.
Hersey has filled orders for one
thousand boxes Of potato chips n
| week. The new place on Cony street
| Is now In operation and she well
| comes visitors any time, to come and
inspect the place.
Up one flight of stairs, the visitor
IL first ushered into the small but
well appointed business Office There
the center OF attraction is the shelv-
ed rack upon which the big three"
| are displayed in samples, ready for
sale. The samples in the office
| eliminate the necessity Of the sales
| man going into the workroom, when
ordering.
| The two rear rooms Is where the
| work Is done. A. N. Jones Is Mrs
| Hersey's helper and most any time
OF day he may be seen, busily stir
| ring a kettle full of sizzling potato
chips, a kettle of luscious orange
marrffalade or a pot of tempting
nuts.
The chips are made ready for fry
Ing by being peeled and sliced
through a potato machine. which car
! cut up q barrel Of potatoes in &c
minutes. The chips are dipped from
the fat onto long tin trays. From the
tables In the cook room the trays are
pushed through a slide into the as
sembling room. There they are
| packed, as soon as cooled sufficiently
| into boxes and bags.
About ten bushels Of potatoes are
used q week. in the potato chip bus
mess. From n bushel of potatoes
there Is over n SO per cent shrink
age. n bushel making about %
pounds of chips.
The marmalade and the nuts are
also made in similar efficient man.
ner. One day potato chips are made:
the next day marmalade and the
third day, nuts are sailed. Thus the
work in the kitchen Is along one
channel at q time. with the best re-
suits.
Mrs. Hersey's business has grown
In leaps and bounds. as she Is sup
plying something the public wants
But she has finally won what credit
Is due her through long hours OF
hard work and planning and she
feels that she Is now right in the
thick OF the struggle.
Today her products are sold in
many places over the State and out
side of the State, as well. Due to q
summer patronage, she sends pro-
ducts to Providence. r. I. and a
Lynn. Mass. Judge, who visited last
summer at Peacock Tavern. regu-
larry orders Mrs. Hersey's potato