Ann Arbor Chicory Co.

ANN ARBOR CHICORY CO.

IS NOW READY TO BEGIN DRYING THE ROOTS.

The Chicory Crop Generally Proved a Success in Spite of The Poor Season.

The Ann Arbor Chicory Co. is now ready for business, and will commence receiving roots next week. As soon as there is a sufficient quantity on hand to run without stopping, the day boiler will be fired. In company with Jacob Laubengayer, one of the directors of the company, the Daily Argus representative looked over the plant. The enterprise of the firm of Heinzmann & Laubengayer in forming the company last spring, which imported the seed and secured the services of John De Ronde, an expert, are well known. The farmers, although always apparently anxious for greater opportunities for realizing profitable crops from their lands, seemed very conservative in taking hold of the contracts offered them by the company. By dint of much explanation both by word of mouth and in the columns of the Argus, about 300 acres were secured. The reports received by President John Heinzmann from the crop indicate that as a rule the crop has been good and the returns will be highly satisfactory. The seed sown on good potato ground has done the best. On heavy clay ground, it has not done so well. Some farmers claim that the cost of raising the crop has been very small, entirely out of proportion to what they expected. The company is prepared to renew contracts with increased acreage and make new ones. The past season has been unfavorable, so that with a good year much better results can be expected.

The plant of the company is located on the former elevator property of Heinzmann & Laubengayer, on W. Washington st., adjoining the Ann Arbor railroad. Here the new buildings 40 by 42 in size have been built. The two buildings are connected on the second floor. Underneath this connection are the scales for weighing wagons, loaded with roots. They are unloaded in adjoining sheds. The west building is devoted to the preparation of the roots for drying. In the basement of this building is the washing machine. The roots will be fed into a long trough where they will be slowly turned by a shaft with arms. This trough will be constantly fed with fresh water from an inch and a half pipe. From here the roots will be elevated to the third floor, from where when needed, they will descend to the second floor to the slicing machine. This is a very complete machine and of the most approved pattern. It was imported from Belgium. From the slicing machine the product is again elevated, this time to the third story of the dry kiln. Here it will be spread on a perforated steel floor. Provision has been made to keep a reserve stock of sliced roots to be used at night when the slicing machine is not running, as the dry kiln will be run day and night. After the sliced roots are here partially dried they will be let down on the second floor by moving the steel floor plates. Here the heat will be greater than above and they will be dried out completely, ready for being bagged for shipment. This work will be done in the room of the connection of the two buildings. The dry kiln is heated by eight furnaces, fed by coke. The company has now over 200 bushels on hand and has a contract with the Ann Arbor Gas Co. to take its product. The bagged, dried product, will be stored in the former elevator building ready for shipment. The power for the washing machines and elevators are supplied by a line shaft from the engine in the former elevator building. The necessary large quantity of water for washing the roots will be supplied from a well near the engine house. A large steam pump has been installed. It was given two days steady trial, and while it reduced the head in the pipe it was unable to exhaust the well.

The future of the Ann Arbor Chicory Co. may mean much to the farmers of Washtenaw county and the merchants of Ann Arbor. The importance of giving a sure market for a profitable crop means, directly or indirectly, an increase in the salable value of every farm. The results of this year's chicory crop deserve the attention of every up-to-date farmer.

In addition to chicory the company will buy and dry sugar beets. This will give those farmers who have raised sugar beets this year as an experiment, a good market, even if there is no sugar factory in the county. The first delivery of sugar beets has already been received.