Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-12-03

law W1lcn makes potatoes scarce Wuen dKp GO
are plenty, and vice versa. Last year apples
we're plenty, while the potato crop was
failure in this vicinity. The yield was tair.
but an uncanry sogginess pervaded the tu-
bers, and gave them shrivelled appearance
when first dug. and an ungratfying doughty
taste that could not be got rid of.
This year, the potato crop is excellent
throughout New England We had the
early rain, the dry spell and the latter rain
just as was needed for a good crop The wet
spring gave lusty vines the amount of the
fertilizer, which plays so important part
in potato culture, rounded up its measure of
usefulness, and the tubers multiplied and
brought forth almost the yield of our fathers
days. Another popularity of potatoes, this
year, has been the dearth of little ones But
very little sorting has been necessary, and
picking up" has been shorn of half it's
terrors. Just why the potatoes have grown
so fat and large, is one of the things we shall
know hereafter, if it is best but there seems
| to be no hope Of finding out here. All New
England potatoes have been fine, and the
chief difference between those raised on the
sand dunes OF Agawam and those from the
businesses of Brattleboro, has been that the
former cook notieeably quicker than the
latter.
| About one-half of the fall potatoes sold
here are raised within so miles of this city
and the remainder are from the vicinity of
Brattleboro, Vt. Spring potatoes are chiefly
from the Black River district of New York
The towns of Carthage and Lowville furnish
them, and Rome and Watertown are ship
ping points. During extreme cold weather
potatoes come East in heated cars, that is,
stove is partitioned off in the car and roar
ing fire kept in it to keep the freight from
freezing. No potatoes come here from
points east. except, occasionally, few from
Ludlow. Berkshire county sends quantities,
| however, and retailers in this city 60 to
Middlefeld, Chester and Beckett, ride round
amOng the farmers and buy all they can get.
The growers dig, dry and load them on the
cars for Springfield. Farther north, in the
brattlebOro region, spectators buy them up
and come here to job out car loads at a time
The dealers buy by the pound, 60 pounds to
the bushel, and sell by measure not that
they make anything by it. but is much less
work to weigh than to measure large quanti-
ties In dealing with known parties, pay
ment is made in accordance with the weigh
RS certificate. IT the shippers are not
known to be honest, the potatoes are re-
weighed as unloaded.
D.
men, in the city, Butterfeld & Gilbert are
the largest dealers. They have enormous bins
under their store, where they lay away 1000
or $500 bushels. They fill them in the fall
with home-raised potatoes, and in the spring
with the New York crop. Their sales last
year exceeded 1000 bushels, consdera Bile
part of which was to Irish customers.
The produce commission merchants here
do not handle great many potatoes. For
merly they dealt in them largely, but retail
ers bought elsewhere, and now the iobbing
houses sell only what are consigned to them
There Is one exception: Mr.. E. s. Bangs
sold, last year, over $4,000 bushels, chiefly
New York potatoes. Chiis and seedlings, at
an average JobbIng price of 80 cents per bush
el- The risks of business, this year, render
1t improbable that much potato jobbng will
be done, at least, until late in the season.
The potato crop West is failure, particular
ly in Ohio, and shipments are now made
westward Here in Springfield, potatoes re-
tail from 70 to 80 cents bushel They are
worth 80 and So cents at Brattleboro. and
about as much at Beckett. The freight is not
far from ten cents bushel from the latter
place, 40 miles distant, and fifteen cents
bushel from Rome, New York, go miles
mere. The consumer, especially if he pays
truckage, will make little by purchasing
potatoes of the raiser; but if that individual
lives near Wllbraham and will bring in
dozen bushels for 20 cents Il bushel, it would
be we'll to invite him to do so. Potatoes are
much cheaper, this year, than last, the small
good perhaps blown by the evil wind. hard
times. Garnet Chill, Early Rose, Jersey peach
blows and Davis seedlings are the standard
varieties, to-day. The Chilli is hardy red
potato OF unbounded yield, good keeping
qualities, and stands generally the represen-
tatIve New England tuber. Early Rose be-
came famous for earliness-we all remember
the hue and cry about Early Rose, 81 a
pound-and people thought they wouldn't
keep; out they have proved to, and will be
sold largely this fall for winter potato
The hotels take to Early Rose on account o
Its white, clean look, and then, too, it holds
heat we'll. This is an imp )rtant character
lstlc, boiled potato should be hot, even if it
Is necessary to cover it with a cloth there
lore potato that will stay hot of itself is
treasure indeed. The Massasoit house man
ayers think so and only order Early Rose
Inc DAVIS Seeding is the Irish potato 1t is
little strong for unseasoned Yankee palates
but lrlshmen like it all the better for having
some taste, and when boiled with bone in
thinks 1t an eplcurean dish. An average
family OF three or four persons use about
twelve bushels, or over 1000 potatoes, yearly
Just think of it and the French and
Irish eat four times as many. There seems
to De suitable link between potatoes and
Catholics; at least the weight of potatoes
brought here find a market in ward /
The Berkshire farmers find potatoes their
best crop. They are as reliable as corn, and
can be made more certain by planting them
IN new land-fresh plowed pastures are good
and changing the seed often. Potatoes
grown on soil used fer them several years
are apt to be watery. Potatoes foreordain-
eddy watery are improved by roasting, and
we don't wonder that the shepherd OF Sails
bury plain was grateful for potatoes and
salt,-lf he had roasted potatoes Another
neat way OF fixing watery potatoes is to mash
and model them INTO the shape OF pears and
peaches, with Glove for an eye This
served, the cook-books say, q allow three or
more to each person. All in all, We have
the highest sympathy for the old toast to
potatoes, They furnish -four without a mill.
and bread without an oven. "-Spr,nafeld
Republican.
HE GOOSE AND ITS VARIETIEs.-We cow
the following from the American Aqrieui-