22 BULLETIN 182, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTUEE. 



milk was therefore reduced, were the milk, potatoes, etc., sold to 

 intermediaries. The profits, therefore, were not divided with any 

 one except in cases of necessity. 



As the production of the cereals serves two purposes, that of pro- 

 viding grain, which finds a good market in Berlin, and straw for 

 bedding the cattle, so the potato also serves two purposes. The 

 good tubers are sold, while the small and defective ones are kept for 

 the distillery and ultimately furnish a by-product which is fed to 

 the cattle. 



Several varieties of potatoes are cultivated, with reference to the 

 local market and with reference to their value as crude material for 

 the distillery. Some of the table potatoes brought as high as 55 

 cents per bushel, others only half that sum. The average for the 

 sorted product of the season of 1907 was about 44.4 cents per bushel. 

 The summer of that year in Germany was cold and cloudy and was 

 not very favorable for the potato crop. 



The proximity to Berlin and the possibility of selling the better 

 potatoes directly to the consumer act favorably on the price to be 

 obtained. The smaller and poorer potatoes are valued, as crude 

 material for the distillery, at 37.5 cents per bushel of 60 pounds. 

 To this should be added 6,8 cents per 100 pounds, which is the 

 estimated value of the spent material, as a cattle food. 



The importance of the distillery as an agricultural industrial fac- 

 tor on this estate is readily indicated by its location. It was erected 

 25 jesiYS ago next to the old cow stable, and has a mash-tub capacity 

 of 385 gallons. It was operated not with reference to reducing the 

 cost of operation to a minimum but to spreading the production of 

 the spent mash over as long a period as possible. Being an old 

 distillery, it has but few modern improvements. Although it is 

 equipped for a fourfold operation, it was operated only twofold, 

 for the reason that while the Government allows the agricultural 

 distilleries 249 days for operation, the allotment assigned by the 

 Central Association to this distillery for the year 1907-8 was only 

 10,825 gallons of alcohol. On this quantity a tax of $12.50 had to be 

 paid. On the excess distillation, that is, on all alcohol produced 

 over this quantity, there was a tax of $17.50. 



The 250 acres (400 Morgen) of potato land yielded on an average 

 from 200 to 240 bushels of potatoes per acre, or about 50,000 to 

 60,000 bushels for the whole area. Of this total, about 1,850 bushels 

 were used for table purposes on the estate. 



When harvested, the potatoes were roughly sorted in the field. 

 Those which were to be sold at once were shipped to Berlin, and 

 the balance were stored in the fields, to be brought to the distillery 

 as needed. The use to which these were to be put and the time 



