The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-05-04
O be sold for what it will bring.

to be sold for what it will bring.
The shipment from the buying sta
tion is likewise done by the use of
lined and heated cars, a man going
with each consignment to keep up the
| fires.
Nearly all of the crop from this
vicinity goes directly to ST. Louis, and
during the buying season, which covers
nearly the entire year, the leading
produce firms of that city have buyers
at each Of the points I have named.
Along the. sidetrack, every two or
three Car lengths, is to be found plat
form scale covered by shed where
| the weighing is done, each buyer
having his own scale. After weighing,
| the load is generally transferred di-
| rectly to the car which is along side
the scale waiting to be loaded, but in
some instances, [ judge, the potatoes
are placed in warehouses until one or
more carloads are ready for shipment,
| for [ noticed several large buildings
bearing the sign ''Potato Warehouse"
Some idea of the magnitude of the
business may be gained by giving the
figures for one station. At Harris,
small village of, [ should say, four
hundred people, there has been
marketed since the middle of August
in 1898, over LOO cars of potatoes
averaging at least 600 bushels to the
car, or total of 100000 to 100000
bushels. The price has varied during
this time from % cents to 75cents per
been paid out at this one point for pc
tatoes within this period.
was told that it was a frequent oc-
currence for 800 to 400 sleigh loads of
potatoes to be marketed at Harris in
single day, during last winter, and
as many as thirty cars have been ship
ped from there in one day.
There is a starch factory at Harris
which runs in the buying season, using
culled potatoes or off stock in years
when prices are high, Or good potatoes
when low prices prevail. l believe
similar factories are located at some
of the other points.
1t is claimed that a good average
crop is from 175 to 200 bushels to the
acre, while as high as $50 bushels have
been dug in exceptional seasons. Last
year the crop was somewhat lighter
than usual, the average being about
$50 bushels: but this, at the prices
which have been realized, is a most
profitable yield, bringing the farmers
much ready money, and they are rap
idly getting in good shape financially.
While at Harris [ saw thirty or for
ty farmers come in with large loads Of
potatoes, which, that day, were bring
ing IS cents per. bushel. | saw one
load sell at 76 cents.
On my return trip [ met on the
train Mr.. Ed. FL. Huebner, formerly a
student at the state Normal school at
Mankato, now county attorney of Sib-
| ley county, who informed me that a
collector for Well-known machinery
company had recently told him that
| he had gone into the section of which
am writing, with seventy-fve notes
against farmers for collection, expect
ing, because of the hard times, to car
ny nearly all of them over and only
hoping to get them renewed and Sc
cured, but that he had been most
agreeably surprised by having all but
three promptly paid on presentation,
and that this prompt payment was al
together due to the fact that these
farmers had raised potatoes in quanti-
ties and had ready money in conse-
Quence.
The soil of the part of the state we
are now considering is said to be pecu-
liarly well adapted to potato raising,
but, if | am not mistaken, good yields
are had from potatoes planted in our
vicinity, and if the production should
be entered into here on scale large
enough so that the resulting crop
would attract dealers to this point as
a buying market, | believe it would
prove a profitable business for our
farmers.
Yours, very respectfully,
i GEO. T.. BARR.
| Mankato, May l, 1894