The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-01-06
ELI PERKINS ON CHICORY.

the Price Has Fallen-A Duty on Raw
Chicory Would save Us SS,OOO,O00
Yearly.
l want to tell our little children
story about chicory, says Eli Perkins in
the American Economist suppose
you don't know what chicory is Well,
it is a vegetable like a parsnip which
the French and Germans have been
raising, drying, browning, grinding and
using instead of coffee. We have been
sending out about IS, 900, 900 to Germany
every year for this little article. 1t
tastes like coffee. is good wholesome
food, but it has no nerve stimulant like
coffee. Children can drink chicory rs
they can milk.
To get to the story: When they were
putting the tariff on different things
last year and got down to ''C' they
came right on to chicory.
Whats chicory?" asked Maj McKin-
ley.
No one was able to tell anything
about it except that we paid Europe
SS,OOO,0O every year to get what was
used.
We'll, what shall we do with it?"
asked several congressman.
why, if we can't raise it." said Nc
Kinley land the people want it. we
will let raw chicory come in free, but
we will put a protective tariff on manu-
featured chicory. We will try and bring
the manufactures to America if we
can't raise the stnff." So the tariff went
on to manufactured chicory.
Suddenly ] noticed great stir among
the chicory importers.
"Why, this Mckinley bill has raised
the dickens" they said. "We can't in
port ground chicory any more from
France and Germany. We must make
it here"
So 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 stampede from Europe, and
chicory factories began to go up in
Jersey City, Hoboken, Williamsburg,
Newark and Brooklyn. Then Philadel-
phia and Detroit started chicory factor
les till we had IA factories and 900
chicory makers at work in America.
They got their raw chicory from France
and Germany, where it is grown with
very cheap labor This worked well in
New York, but out in Detroit they said
"We are too far away. We must
raise our own chicory."
So they got chicory seeds from Ger
many and put in small crop last
spring. The farmers made more money
than they made out of wheat. 1t set
them crazy. Everyone wanted to raise
more of it. Well, this fall the Detroit
factory is doubling its capacity and all
the farmers are getting seed through
the factory and Jerry Rusk, and pre-
pairing to plant chicory next year.
What is the result? Why, after pay
ing out to France and Germany over
$40, OOO,O 900 for chicory we are finally go
ing to make it here, at home, and save
our money-keep it in this country.
The history of this industry and how
we got it is like that of dozen other
industries which have vi me 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 tar.
iff 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 John Macdonald and
said:
IF Canada will put tariff on raw
chicory I will plant four miles square
in Manitoba"
"Then we'll do it." said Sir John, and
he did
Last spring visited Baron Babant's
4. OOO-acre chicory farm in Whitewood
Manitoba, on the Canadian Pacific. He
proposes to supply all Canada with
chicory and send his surplus raw
chicory over to be manufactured in the
United States without paying any duty
His fall crop is now coming to Detroi
| to be manufactured.
1t is funny about the price of chicory
too. It used to sell for IL cents pei
pound wholesale. Competition bough
it down to 10 cents, then to cents, ther
to cents Their to 4 cents, and now it il
offered wholesale at SO cents. Our re
tail groccrs are keeping the news from
the people and still selling chicory a
IL cents per pound, when they coult
sell it at cents.
BY and by, if we get tariff on raw
chicory, every farmer can raise substi
tute which will improve his coffee. One
half chicory gives delightful flavor t,
coffee. Good coffee costs 80 cents
pound. Ii is one of the burdens of GU
farmers and mechanics to buy it, for w
all drink coffee. But soon chicory will
be one of our own crops and S. 600, 90
will be saved to our country every year
Putting in chicory, fax beet sugar
and raising more sheep for wool, vii
reduce the acreage for wheat, and wit
the present tariff of 25 cents agains
: Canadian wheat, rye, oats and barley
: we will next year consume our surplu
wheat, and then wheat will go to dol
, lar a bushel in Dakota, farm lands will
go up, the farmer will again, after iii
!. teen years of low prices, be on top-au
, all through the wise protection pE
: around us by the Mckinley bill.
: why Am n Protectionist.
BY HUGH N. CAMP.
, Because, having studied the effect c
protection, find that it has been Inair