The Princeton union., 1894-09-27
POTATO BELT.
Mile Lacs County Right i'm the
Heart of the Great Tuber
Producing Soil.
PRINCETON is THE CENTER.

PRINCETON is THE CENTER.
$25O,OOO Will Be Paid i'm Cash
to Farmers in this Vicinity
This Fall.
Different parts OF an agricultural re-
gion have different varieties of soil
and climate fitting the various localities
for the production Of all the varieties
of fruits, vegetables and cereals. In
Mile Laos county and the surrounding
country, the farmers for many years,
stuck to grain raising. Good crops
were generally raised, but the income
was not much more than the cost of liv-
ing from year to year and oftentimes,
when the balance was struck, the
farmer found himself in debt. Starch
factories sprang up three or
four years since, and began the con-
sumption of potatoes for the purpose of
making starch. Princeton's go-ahead
business men built a large factory at
this place. Though the price of pota-
toes at that time was extremely low
Is to 20 cents per bushel, farmers, even
then, found there was more money in
raising potatoes at that modest figure
than in grain raising. The price of DO
tatoes having advanced beyond profit
in the starch business, the factory has
been inactive a greater part of the
time, but it must always have the
credit of getting the farmers into the
right channel of farming, and of put
ting them on the road to financial pros
perity. Farmers found themselves
with mortgages lifted, homes free from
incumbrance and a cash balance on
hand. This year, a heavy acreage was
planted and the crop started from the
ground with the most promising pros
poets. The long drought set in, and
farmers throughout this part of the
country began to shake their heads and
predict a dismal failure. The time of
the potato harvest is now at hand.
Every day, hundreds of loads of pota-
toes come into this market and are sold
at prices ranging from 40 to so cents per
bushel. Men who predicted failure,
are going to the bank with checks in
hand to draw their money, or deposit
the same to their credit. Hundreds of
new settlers who have settled on the
lands around Princeton, managed to
put in a few acres of potatoes this
spring. They will receive all the way
from Sl00 to 81, 900 in cash from their
little clearings. Under the old method
OF crop raising on new farm, they
could not have made a living without
going out to work by the day, now they
are well prepared for the winter and
can remain at home to open up and inn
prove the lands ready for larger
acreage next season. On some of the
old farms with large acreage under
cultivation, the farmers were fairly
well to do while raising grain, but as
before noted, not always out of debt.
Teams are in the market, to-day, be-
longing to a farmer who has a .l2, 600
bushel contract to fill at so cents per
bushel. 1900 in clean cash from a
16O acre farm, and only one third
OF the farm was planted to potatoes.
Where in the line of farming can you
beat it? In little over three months
from time of putting seed into the
ground the farmer has over $1,000 in
in the bank. Another farmer we'll
known at this Office has 20 acres of
acres of potatoes that are turning out
over 250 bushels to the acre. 5000
bushels at so cents, or So, 900 from 20
acres of his 100 acre farm. These are
veritable facts, and not theories.
Throughout this county and the con-
tiguous territory, the land is found to
be especially adapted to the growth Of
the tuber. This year has demonstrated
the soils wonderful adaptability under
the most adverse circumstances that
of q long-continued drought. For
weeks, there was no rain, yet the
potato came on with a fine WELD of the
finest quality. $3.50. 900 will be handed
out in cash to the farmers in the vicin-
ity OF Princeton for potatoes this year.
- 51-8-- $1,000 - -. .s#AS 3ss$