St. Paul daily globe., 1895-09-05
PRICE PAYS THE FARMER
--5T .~-.I.1C y .-.e-1.,H We
WHAT CANNOT he SOLD ON TIE
MARKET GOES TO STARCH
Si-'''-ssi'.,- 90 MILLS. i1-sl
HoPEwELL cLARKHs FIGURES
Show That on the Duluth Road
Alone the Crop Amounts tor
r.a ~ Millions of Bushels. @Ssz

any one starye in the great North
west this winter? Nine million BUSH
eis~of the delicious Murphy are now
lying in the fields of Minnesota with
in a few miles of the Twin Cities.
1t means a bushel and a half for
every man, woman and child in
Minnesota, Wisconsin and the two
Dakotas. It is twice as heavy a crop
as was. ever known in the history
of the North Star state, and it rep
resents in round numbers nearly
S2'eOO000 for the Minnesota farmers.
Talk about theareturn Of prosper
1ty and abundance for the people of
the Northwest! Here it is in DO
tatoes alone, and this potato crop is
only an indication of the wonderful
product of the Minnesota farmer
this year. The only question that
now troubles the producer is where
can he: find a market for this enor-
nous crop? = It must be moved and
the railroads say it will be moved.
and that, too, without any reduc-
ton in the present freight rate. If
the markets only stand ready to re-
ceive the crop, the other part of the
| work is easily done Texas, Ohio,
Illinois and Indiana will unques-
tfonably receive a vast amount of
these potatoes, but they will not re-
ceive all.
There will be more than enough
for the people Of the Northwest, for
| it is claimed that the crop in Wis
| consin will be nearly as large. The
! farmers there will have little diff
Guilty in moving their crop, for they
are much nearer Chicago than Min
| nesota, and will get the benefit of
! a. much cheaper rate for the shorter
| haul. There is no fear, as some
| people Seem to think, that much. of
the Minnesota crop will rot in the
| ground. That which will not be
taken by the consumers will be
! ground into starch, and the farmer
! will receive a fair profit in this way
| if he cannot dispose of his crop as
he desires to the people. He will
store what he has left in root houses
for the winter, and bring the pota-
toes into the market next June. The
farmer does not stand to lose any
thing. e. erc
Every line of railroad running Into
the Twin Cities has a great potato
! crop this year, but the bulk of the
| Murphies have been grown along
the line of the ST. Paul & Duluth
road. or in the famous potato belt.
Fully four and a half of the nine
million bushels were grown in this
region,uer,e in other words, the, crop
along the. line of the Dulutha road
will raise; a little over one-halfl1ef
, the entire product for the state this
year. The abundance of the crop
/ will necessarily make prices low
, locally, and the consumers will hail
the announcement with much pleas
ure, for potatoes are a large factor
in the food of the workingman, and
he. will be able at small cost to
| stock his potato bin full to over
! flowing.
South of Minnesota a great many
| potatoes have been raised, but they
do not compare with the Minnesota
potato, and the latter will command
/ a fair price in competition with the
freight added, because the southern
! potato is watery and not at all de-
! Sirable.
! There has been talk that the rate
/ charged by the railroads will inter-
, fere with the movement of the crop,
| but the railroad men smile at the
! 11o % ic 70
one, and that the only thing that
may interfere is the want of mar
] kets for the crop. 1t was claimed
! that unless a lower rate was made
| by all the roads, that some one road
would jump the traces and cut the
rate, thereby precipitating rate
i war, and establishing a low rate
! dispose of his product at hand
some profit. The railroad men claim
| that no such thing is probable, and
! even go so far as to say that it is not
! possible. The roads have all agreed
| that their present rate is fair, and
| they have no idea Of lowering it,
A reporter of the G | o b called
|
| sioner of the ST.. Paul 6, Duluth rail-
road, yesterday and asked him con-
! cerning the situation throughout the
state. He had received reports from
! all through the potato country in
Minnesota, and his figures, it will be
! seen, are conservative and reason
! able. Asked what the crop will be,
he said:
i "I am not competent to answer that
! question. All lines have large potato
! crop this year, but my opinion is that
the portion of the crop grown in the
st. Paul & Duluth country will equal
one-half that of the entire state, that
is, the country tributary to the ST
Paul & Duluth railroad will raise oheg
/ half the potatoes that will be pro-
duced in the state of Minnesota this
year. nR
about what would you estimate
this to be, five million bushels?"
Probably Sd" 10
NOW, with regard to rates, do yoa
think a. lower rate will be made?" 81
II do not anticipate any change in
freight rates, and we consid=r them
very fair now. The rates to Chicago
are twenty cents from all points on the
St. Paul 81 Duluth road" 10
won't the rate operate against tho
movem MT of the erop2"
'I do not think so.- It. should not.
The rate is q reasonable enc and the
crop should find q market at that rate.
There may be some territory that
would stand readjustment."
You think the entire crop will move
then?'',
MY opinion is that the crop viii fnd
a market and the railroads will be able
to take care If It's movement" ..
IN Gaze the railroads are not able