510 THE POTATO 



factories in the Netherlands, of which twenty-four 

 are in the Province of Groningen, two in Fries- 

 land, four in Drenthe, and two in Overyssel. In 

 addition to this there are several small factories 

 producing only dextrin or glucose. The total 

 number of men employed in the works is nearly 

 3,000. Most of the factories are situated on deep 

 canals in the reclaimed swamps of the Veenko- 

 lonien, and the tubers are transferred from the 

 boats direct to the mill. 



"A disagreeable feature of the potato-flour in- 

 dustry in the Veenkolonien is the waste thrown 

 off and the consequent pollution of the canal 

 water. Just after the milling season the water is 

 so bad that ignitible gases evaporate from it. 

 Often a lighted match thrown into the canal will 

 cause an apparent blaze. The economic loss 

 resulting from this waste is in the eyes of the 

 planters of that region a serious matter. In all 

 it is estimated that the wasted material is worth 

 $666,432 per year. 



"In connection with the potato-flour industry 

 there are seven dextrin factories in the northern 

 part of the country and two in the province of 

 Limburg. Dextrin is used chiefly for sizing pur- 

 poses in textile plants. As a consequence, the 

 demand for that product depends largely upon the 

 cotton and linen industries. While there is a 

 flourishing cotton industry in Overyssel, it is not 

 sufficient to consume all the dextrin produced 

 here, the remainder being shipped to Great Brit- 

 ain, United States, Spain, Italy, and Belgium. 

 However, the exports in this line have decreased 

 of late years, owing to both the increased price 

 of the dextrin and higher import duties in many 

 foreign countries. 



