Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 5, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1919 — POTATO FLOUR INDUSTRY [ARTICLE]

POTATO FLOUR INDUSTRY

Chief of Dehydration Bureau Predicts It Will Revolutionize Food Situation in the United States.

S. 'ft, Proscott, chief nf the dehydration bureau, chemistry division, department of agriculture, sounded a note of national Interest at the recent Wisconsin potato exposition in an address before the Potato Association of America when he discussed the possibilities of the manufacture of potato flour and the dehydration of the vegetable in the United States. “The manufacture of potato flour is a brand neW industry in this country,” said Major Prescott. “There are only.two mills In operation now. These are at Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Canton, Pa. But I am sure that the industry . will grow to vast proportions in the next few years and will cause a vital change, if not a revolution, in the food supply situation in the United States. “The potato crop of the United States is now 360,000,000 bushels. With the new market afforded the farmers by potato flour mills, I expect to see it reach a billion bushels. “Germany.bad three dehydration plants in T 903. Today it has 1,900. Potato flour and dehydrated vegetables enabled Germany to hold out in the war as long as It did. “General Pershing last September ordered 30,000 tons of dehydrated vegetables sent to the soldiers in France. This tonnage will occupy one-sixth the shipping space that would have been necessary for not dehydrated. Dehydration means a great saving In shipping expense as well as shipping space. Canned tomatoes shipped from California can be laid down in France for $7 a case. The same amount of food value in the same vegetable can be shifffed the same distance for 70 cents. “The importance of this saving can be better appreciated when it is known that the vast proportion of the population of the United States is fed bn food shipped from 100 to 2,000 miles. “All the proteins,” mineral salts and-vitamines in the potato are preserved in potato flour because the flour is made from the unpeeled potato. The flour has 2 per cent higher food value than wheat flour.”