Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1884-05-15
Low Price OF Potatoes.

The low price of potatoes in all the
Eastern markets is somewhat of sur
prise to our farmers generally, and 1t
will probably deter many from planting
very largely the present spring. A
year ago good seed potatoes sold
readily in this city for So per barrel, and
choice lots for fifty cents to q dollar
more; but now they are slow of sale at
dollar per barrel, and in the country;
the farmer is lucky who gets twentyi
five cents bushel st his own cellar. In
Maine the starch factories are paying
sixty EIGHT cents = barrel, delivered at
the factory. and this is much better than
sending them to . distant market. and
assuming the risk of making . sale at
any price. The high price OF potatoes
in the spring of 1883 was very encour-.
aging to those who make this crop q
specially, as well as to the ordinary
farmer who only plants q few acres in
order to have enough for his own use
and a few to spare for his local market,
and the result was that . little more
than the usual area was devoted to this
crop. The season proved to be an ex-
cellent one for potatoes, with plenty
of rain to keep the plants growing, and
comparatively few insects appeared.
The result was very large yield, and
the tubers were of superior quality,
with scarcely sign of disease among
them.
The winter just past has also been
favorable for keeping potatoes, it hav-'
ing been steadily cold. but not severe
enough to endanger tubers stored i'm
moderately warm cellars. Everything
seems to have combined to keep the
prices low and the supply large; and
while we will not attempt to guess how
matters will stand in regard to potatoes
a year hence, we think it would be bad
policy for farmers to greatly restrict the
area usually planted with this crop. as
we hear that many propose to do this
spring. 1t is quite natural that those,
who lost money on their potato crop
last season should feel inclined to try
some other crop this year, in the hope
of making good their loss; but. as a rule.
the farmer who is constantly changing.
with the idea of striking the market
just right, seldom hits it, and is quite
likely to be Just a season too late for
the highest and most remunerative
prices.
The potato is one of our staple and
important crops, and, as arule, is about
as profitable a one as farmers in the
Eastern States can raise, because the
crop Is too heavy and bulky to trans
port any considerable distance; conse-
quently the competition in the markets
Is usually less active than with grain.
which is much cheaper to handle, be-
sides being less liable to injury and
decay. The farmer who can get fifty
cents a bushel for his potatoes, and
raise two to four hundred bushels per
are. has certainly a fair margin for
profit, and we think his chances are
better with this crop than with corn at
seventy-fve cents to dollar busheI,
because a much larger number of BUSH
els can be raised on an e Iual number
of acres, and the difference in cost OF
cultivation is very little.
In raising crop of potatoes it costs
more for seed than with corn, and the
crop is a more bulky and heavy one to-
handle; but the yleldls generally double
or quadruple. while the potatoes usual
ly fetch nearly az much as corn in the
Eastern markets. with an occasional
Exceptional year like the present one.
The farmers living near our larger cities
seldom fail to obtain good prices for
their early potatoes, and on these they
usually make more money than on late
bnes, because there Is less competition.
Those who have land adapted to pota-
toes should not hesitate to put in acrop,
although prices are now very low.
There is no certainty of heavy yield
all over the country, as there appears
to have Leen during the last season, and
the sprice of an article one year is no
criterion as to what it may be the next,
for no one can foretel what may hap
pen, or what kind of weather we may
have few months hence.-N Z Sun.