The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1891-12-19
Suddenly | noticed great stir among

suddenly L noticed great Stir among
the chicorv importers.
why, this Mckinley bill has raised
the dickens" they said "We can't i'm
port ground chicory any more from,
France and Germany. We must make
it here"
$50 they wrote and telegraphed the
foreign chicory manufacturers that they
must hurry up and bring their chicory
factories over here. And sure enough
there was a stampede from Europe. and
chlckory factories began to 60 up in Jer-
sey City, Hoboken, Williamsburg, New
ark. and brooklyn. Then Philadel phia
and Detroit started chcory factories
till we had fourteen factories, and go
chckory makers at work in America.
They get their raw chicory from France
and Germany, where it is grown with
very cheap labor. This worked we'll in
New York, but out in Detroit they said
"We are too far away. We must raise
our own chicory."
$50 they got chicory seeds from Ger
many, and put in small crop III Aichi-
gan last spring The farmers made
more money than they made ont oi
wheat. 1t set them crazy. Everyone
wanted to raise more OF it. Well, this
fall the Detroit factory is doubling its
/
seed through the factory and Jerry
Rusk, and preparing TO plant chicorv
next year.
What is the result? Why, after pay
ing out TO France and Germany over
S1O.G0o,W0 for chlCorv we are finally go
ing to make it here, at home, and save
money-keep it in this country.
The history of the industry and how
we GOT it is like that of a dozen other
industries which have come through
this wise tariff measure.
One very funny thing came out of this
tariff on chicory. When Baron Babant,
an extensive chicory raiser in France,
heard of it he thought the tariff was on
raw chicory. as it ought to be, and will
probably be if the next Congress is as
wise as the last one, and he came over
here to raise it. But when he found
there was no tariff on the raw roots in
the states he went to Canada, saw Sir
lohn Macdonald and said:
IF Canada will put a tariff on raw
chicOry | will plant four square miles III
Manitoba
Then We'll DO it, said Sir John; and
he did
Last spring l visited Baron Babant' s
i,000-acre chicorv farm in WhiteWoOd.
Manitoba, on the Canadian Pacific lie
proposes to supply all Canada with
chicory and send his surplus raw chlCory
over to, be manufactured in the United
States without paying any duty. His
fall crop Is now coming to Detroit to
be manufactured.
/ 1t is funny about the price of chlcory
too. 1t used to sell tor - cents per
pound wholesale. Competition brought
it down to 10 cents, then to ) cents,
then 10 6 cents, then to t cents, and
now it is offered wholesale at >! cents.
our retail grocers are keeping the news
from the people anG still selling chicory
at Il cents per pound, when they could
sell it at D cents.
BY and by, If we get a tariff on raw
chlckury, every farmer can raise a sub
sttute which will improve his coffee.
Onehalf chickory gives delightful
flavor to coffee. Good coffee costs 81
cents pound. 1t is one of the bur
dens of our farmers and mechanics to
buy it, fer we all drink coffee. But
soon chickory will be one OF our own
crops, and IS 10000 will be saved tC
our country every year.
Putting in chckory, flax, beet sugar,
and raising more sheep for wool, will
reduce the acreage for wheat; and with
the present tariff of p cents aga nst
Canadian wheat, rye, oats and barley.
We will next year consume our surplus
wheat, aud then wheat will 90 to a dol
lar bushei in Dakota, farm lands will
go up, the farmer will again, after tif
teen years of low prices, be on top-and
all through the wise protection put
around US by the Mckinley bill.
ELI PERKINS Melville ID. I.andon),
pos West End Avenue, New York.