Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1884-08-22
The Potato Crop and It's Lessons.

There was this year n largo surplus
of potatoes, and no market demand fol
them which would justify their ship
mcnt. The potato crop of 1881 was
short, and In the early summer Of 1885
potatoes were in demand at S1.25 q
bushel upward in many sections Of tho
country, and In short supply at that,
while whole cargocs were imported nj
profit. In 1882 we had fair average
crop, quite sufficient for all ordinary
purposes, and the prices were such as
TO afford the producers reasonable
compensation. But there is always
very numerous class of farmers whc
deal more attentively than they do theii
own, and who are ever on the alert fol
some new enterprise which will afford
them larger profits than tho business
they are now In. If their neighbori
made good thing last year out of any
particular crop, they are all ready ia
rush in after them this year and take
the risk OF OVERRIDING the business. Last
year 1t was potatoes that promised them
most, and they all went in with rush
which had tho inevitable effect to break
the business down. They would have
done so in 1882 but for the scarcity and
high price Of seed. But this year they
were again at sea. They did not know
just what port to make for; but they
were not going to plant potatoes again,
not They'll
Theod tato-grower, like everybody
else, has his own peculiar difficulties to
contend against, but they are not in.
superabe. There is no good reason why
he who pursues the even tenor of hts
way from year to year should not make
rs good profit on his Investment and
labor with this rs with any other crop.
1t ranks among the most indispensable
productions of the soil, and although
the producer is liable to suffer from an
occasional boom, he is no more so than
anybody else. The wise farmer who
has made potato-growing regular
branch of his business will not be
frightened out of the business by the
low prices of any particular year. He
will be more likely to extend his acreage
little in the hope of making up for the
loss already sustained, with the assur.
ance that the tickle throng, panic.
stricken, will leave the field to him
again.
But there is another lesson that NAV
we'll be studied in connection with the
low prices obtained for last years potato
crop. That every farmer should adopt
some specially and stick to it through
thick and thin, has been afavorite theory
with many economists. There is much
to be said on both sides of this question.
For the farmer who has an assured local
market and knows Just what he can do
with his products, this is unquestionably
a sound policy. BUTTE the farmer who
depends upon the general markets fol
the sale OF his products u more diversi.
fled system certainly has many advan.
tages. If the farmer who last veal
placed his whole dependence upon his
potato crop, from which to realize the
money 10 meet anecessary payment, hat
raised something else on one-half or two,
thirds of the land, he might have utilized
his potatoes by feeding them to stock
with coarse fodder, and had something
else to sell to help him out of his diff.
Guilty. But his eggs were all in one
basket, and that a smashed one. saw
men hauling large lots of potatoes ten
miles to the cars, and selling them al
twenty cents a bushel last spring. The
barley or oats which might have been
raised on two o-thirds of the same land
would have sold for twice as much, and
the fodder would have been left. Even
in 1882, when the potato crop was un.
questionably the most profitable, it was
not enough so to warrant the risk taken.
That it was risk, and not small one,
either, the experience of 1888 fully
proves. In so large country as this
it is always difficult to forecast the mar
ket for such articles as potatoes; and
while they may generally be depended
upon to pay good profit, it is not good
policy to depend too much upon them
alone. My advice to farmers would be
to continue to plant potatoes as before,
but not to place too much dependence
upon them as the sole market CROP
| u. S. Bliss, in ". Y. Examiner,