THE POTATO 283 



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"At the price at which sweet potatoes are sold 

 at the present time their manufacture into starch 

 alone would not be profitable. It must be re- 

 membered, however, that, grown on the scale 

 which would be necessary to run one or more starch 

 factories, there are a number of expenses which 

 could be eliminated. 



"In the conducting of a factory the following 

 plan suggests itseK as a feasible one: The factory 

 to take over all potatoes from the farmer, select 

 the best and even-size ones to be shipped to market 

 for table use, and make starch from the small, 

 over-size, and ill-shaped ones. All operations 

 being controlled in this way by the factory on a 

 large scale, the product could be utilized and mar- 

 keted to the best advantage. In case of dull 

 market conditions, instead of shipping the potatoes 

 they could be canned, for which there is a great 

 and increasing demand at the present time. 



"A successful method has also been devised 

 for evaporating sweet potatoes. In this con- 

 dition they will keep indefinitely, and, owing to 

 their concentrated form, can be shipped long dis- 

 tances at comparatively small cost. They would, 

 no doubt, be quite popular if better known. 



"As is the case in all paying enterprises, it 

 would be necessary to watch carefully the by- 

 products and utilize them to the best advantage. 

 A method could undoubtedly be devised for col- 

 lecting the water with which the potatoes are 

 treated in the grinding operation. This would 

 contain the greater portion of the sugars and 

 could be added to the pulp — from which starch 

 has been extracted — and all sugars, starch, and 

 fermentable matter remaining could be converted 

 into alcohol. It has been shown that, theoreti- 



