GLUT OF POTATOES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXIII, 10 December 1920, Page 4

GLUT OF POTATOES.

HOW GERMANY DEALS WITH THEM. The September K-ue of "Chamber's Journal" contains an interesting article which explains how the proIdem of dealing with the glut of potatoes has liecn solved in Germany. where 54.000.000 tons are raised annually. Owing to the low prices offered for potatoes, the agrarian interests were forced to attack the f|uestion from motives of self-preservation. The successful drying of bee: pulp aft-'r the sugar has been extracted, thereby enabling the material to be kept indefinitely for stock-feeding purposes, suggested an examination of the feasibility of applying simitar methods to the potato. These investigations were carried out, and as a result two simple methods were evolved, perfect ed, and brought into operation. It was quickly found that drying did not adversely affect the composition of the potato, and that the dried tuber, besides being valuable stoek food was a firit-clais raw- materia! for products such !, starch, "farina. 1 ' glueaie. ddtitrine. aiLoho!. etc. Before the -n? fully 500 potato-drying lactone? were established. The outlook was improved by a new process, e-volved by an Eng!ish inventor, the :alien: characteristic of which ia.its variability.,-which permits on r.r other product being exploited according to the conditions of the market. This will tend to steady the price paid to the farmer for the raw material, and encourage him to devote increased attention to the cultivation of the potato, and ~o improve the yield by raising more prolific varieties by having moij libera! recourse to fertilising.