The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-05
A SHORT MARKET.
Potatoes Have Taken q
Lively Jump.
An Increase of One Hundred Per Cent
in One Month - Causes of
the Stringency.

People who visit restaurants have noticed
during the last week that the usual dish of
potatoes appears on the table in a rather
skinny condition.
In the cheaper eatng resorts, where they
used to give whole potato with the meat
dish, the customer now finds near his plate
only one-haIf "spud."
Housewives buying potatoes by the sack
have wondered why tbs vegetable man pre-
sents such large bill at present.
The itinerant VeDder of the indispensa.
BILE tuber, who erstwhie with spawned
horse and dilapidated cart howled thr0ug Il
tile streets Potatoes, 'tsioes, potatoes" can
now be seen no more. His occupation for
the present is gone.
The reason is that there are no more DO
tatoes in the market. That is there is no
supply coming In. Within the last week
potatoes have risen 100 per cent in price,
and tho indications are that they will 90
higher.
There are many causes contributing to
the scarcity of the article and the high price
OF the market. The tightnesS of the market
has caused large falling of In the business.
Formerly the city consumption WAS 1910
bags daily. Now the commission merchants
get along easily with 1000 bags.
George N. Tindall. the fruit and commits
sion merchant and one of the largest
dealers in potatoes, was seen yesterday and
asked 10 give his reasons for the great jump
in the market
There are various reasons for the lack
OF potatoes al this time OF the year." said
Mr.. Ilndall. In tho first place the earIy
frost We had in November last deStr owed
80, 600 sacks. This at once gave tightness
tn the market in old potatoes. Still this
would not have had much effect if other
contingencies had not arisen.
You know at this time of the year we
are accustomed 10 rely on the early Oregon
crop to keep up the supply. Now the Ore
gon crop has been short this year. Besides
that Oregon this year has had great drain
on her supply from towns which sprung up
in Idaho, Montana and Washington.
Again, the California crop is very late
The frOStS and cold have restricted the
growing. The floods have also done great
damage. There are at present thousands of
acres of potatoes submerged in the San
JOAQUIN and Sacramento valleys and on the
islands near Stockton. TIE new er0D
which we expected to have to relieve the
old did not appear, and prices went up
with jump.
Another drain ON the market is due to
the fact that San francisco is now supply
ing the interior with their potatoes. We
are sending them as far down as San Diego.
for the reason that the interior local crops
are not available.
IAN OF these reasons combined have made
the market light and account for the high
prices. l do not think there will be any
change for the next sixty DAYS, but do not
believe that the prices will go up much
higher, as people will not pay too exorbi-
tant prices, as is evidenced by thu failing
on in the. daily consumption from 1900 to
200) bags"
This explains why the succulent Burbank
and the Rose do not come hot and steaming
from the oven in the restaurants as of yore.
II the price keeps up man may find aspar-
agrs cheap substitute for the delicious
fnDPr. without which
eat dinner. Potatoes are now quoted at
81 % per hundred weight