38 DEHYDBATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Yes ; that could be done very well. 



Senator Eansdell. You have those agents practically all over the 

 United States. I know down my way the local community contrib- 

 utes a part of the expense of those agents. 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Undoubtedly, the department would have to work 

 through these agents. Of course, not all of these agents — perhaps 

 none of them — are familiar with the operation of the large-sized 

 plant. Such experts in the department as are familiar with them 

 would have to work through the county agents. 



Senator Ransdelij. They could be taught from the land-grant col- 

 leges readily, I should think. 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Yes. There were one or two questions which came 

 up, such as the question of alcohol. 



The Chairman. Yes. 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Alcohol does not exist as such in appreciable amounts 

 in any of the materials in their natural state from which it is made 

 commercially, Senator. Alcohol is always produced either from sugar 

 or else from starch. Starch is the source of the alcohol, and starch 

 remains in the potato after drying as it was before, so that it is en- 

 tirely feasible to produce alcohol from dried potatoes. 



Senator Ransdell. They make it now from sawdust, do they not? 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Yes; but apparently not quite as cheaply as from 

 blackstrap molasses; and, furthermore, the cost from blackstrap 

 molasses is about 16 or 17 cents a gallon, and from sawdust about ^ 

 or 23 cents. Of course, these costs have been shifted by the rising 

 price of molasses, which is away up at the present time. 



Then, with reference to costs, I think there has been some con- 

 fusion. We have thoroughly accurate figures in regard to manufac- 

 turing costs for a plant drying, say, 15 tons of potatoes a day — a fair- 

 sized commercial plant — ^which fix the cost of production, including 

 interest and amortization and all the rest of the overhead charges, at 

 a cent a pound, based on the dry product. I should say to produce a 

 pound of dried potatoes would cost a cent a pound plus the cost of 

 the raw materials, whatever they may be. That is a liberal estimate. 

 In some localities it might be considerably less, but that is a perfectly 

 safe estimate for a plant of that capacity. To calculate the cost of 

 the product you would have to add to the 1 cent whatever cost the raw 

 materials would be. 



Senator Ransdell. A cent a pound on dried products ? 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Yes ; a cent a pound on dried products ; that covers 

 just the process — just the process costs — and that includes every- 

 thing that a manufacturer keeping books in a modern way would 

 charge in. 



Senator Ransdell. That does not include the cost of the package 

 in which the article is put up, does it? 



Dr. Alsbeeg. No, sir ; that covers labor, interest on the investment, 

 amortization, deterioration, writing off, and all those charges. It 

 does not include any marketing charge; that would vary, of course, 

 immensely according to the manner in which you were going to mar- 

 ket it. 



The Chairman. Is there anything further? 



Dr. Alsbeeg. Only one thing. In reference to the question the 

 Senator raised concerning cooking: You can either dry vegetables 



