DIYISIO^^ OF BOTANY 843 



SESSIONAL PAPER No. 16 



to the various Governments for approbation, and signed by the plenipotentiaries 

 nominated for the purpose if approved. 



The convention comprised twenty articles in which are specified the special 

 requirements for an organization of an adequate official phytopathological service. 

 This official service will include as a minimum: (1) the creation of one or more 

 research stations for scientific and technical investigations, (2) the organization 

 of an efficient supervision of cultivation, (3) the inspection of consignments, and (4) 

 the issue of phytopathological certificates. 



In connection with the attendance at the conference in Europe, the Dominion 

 Botanist was authorized to visit some of the principal agricultural plant pathological 

 and milk bacteriological institutions of the continent of Europe. 



EVAPORATED POTATOES AND THEIR ECONOMIC VALUE TO AGRICULTURE. 



« 



One of the various subjects inquired into on the occasion of the visit to Europe 

 was in connection with the process of drying potatoes, which is largely practised in 

 Germany. 



The hecessity of using potatoes in a dried condition- — quite apart from their 

 recognized value for human consumption, stock food, or for technical purposes — will 

 and must largely depend upon the total production of potatoes in the country if such 

 practices are to be carried on with profit. As soon as there exists an over-production, 

 potato drying might well be made the subject of closer study. In Germany the 

 production of evaporated potatoes has increased to a very great extent in the last 

 few years. This is due: First, to the over-production of potatoes; second, to cheaper 

 labour and freight charges; and third, to the perfecting of machines carrying out 

 the process. In Canada, none of these salient features exists, and it will be neces- 

 sary before pronouncing an opinion in favour of or against this process to take the 

 conditions existing in the Dominion into careful account. The most important ques- 

 tion is, naturally, "Is the value ol' desiccated potatoes so great as to warrant estab- 

 lishing this industry in Canada?" The real commercial value of them as an article 

 of food for man and animals will depend largely upon the cost of production, and 

 that is where a country like Germany has a great many advantages. To begin with 

 the price of potatoes is considerably higher here, and it is a subject of experiment 

 if a profit will be gained from the finished article. It must be remembered here that, 

 generally speaking, 3i bushels of raw potatoes will produce about 1 bushel of dried 

 potatoes, but this will vary ;)ceording to the starch coutentf? of the potatoes used. 



The cost of production in Germany per bushel of dried potatoes is about 2J 

 cents The price of raAv potatoes in Germany varies from 20' cents to 25 cents per 

 bushel, and in the form of dried flakes the price per bushel is from 80 cents to one 

 dollar. On the face of it, it woidd seem that at the present time this indtiistry 

 will hardly prove of value to Canada. At any rate, careful experiments will have to 

 be carried on first to try this process here. The advantages of potato evaporation 

 may be summarized as follows : — 



(1) Evaporation of potatoes would consume all potatoes for which there is no 

 other market, and which wouhl otherwise go to waste. 



(2) Through the process of drying, a considerable amount in cost of transporta- 

 tion will be saved. 



(3) The nutritive value of evaporated potatoes Avill not be influenced by heat or 

 frost, and they will keep indefinitely, if at all reasonably stored. 



(4) They occupy less space and will be a very useful stock food in years when other 

 food is scarce. 



(5) Potato evaporation would be one means to solve the problem of utilizing 

 potatoes affected with diseases, which are now being sold and tend to spread diseases 

 over a wider area. 



Inquiries into this subject will be pursued before further comments are made. 



Ottawa. 



