The evening times., 1895-11-14
| BIG CROP OF MURPHI[s
Over 300, 200, 900 Bushels Rails
ed This Year in America.
YIELD LARGER THAN EVER
Potatoes Are Selling for Ten Cents
IA Busiiel Wholesale, and Many Far
mers Refuse TO Dig Them, Prefer
ring Rather To Fstten Hogs for the
Market ON the Spusis.

! American potato crop this year lends con-
| siderable interest 10 the cultivation and
istribltion of this important and staple
article of diet.
In volume Of product ion the J-aiied States
| stands fifth on the list of five countries
/ which are producers. and whose annual
| crops are estimated in bushels as follows:
Germany, 1000. .OO0O: Russia, o. ,8OO,-
600: France, 3S5,O0o,OO0; Austria. 2s5,-
o0O.0Oo; United States, 200, 900.
The worlds annual potato crop for many
/. years has been estinatel by experts, AIDED
/ by official statistics at 4, ,0OO, ,000, 900 hush
els, exceeding the annual crop Of grain by
fully .5O,O0O,0OO 0shels.
This years crop in the United States ha 5
!. b'1n estimated at :.0U,OO0,oVO bushels,
and 1t is quite probable that il will
Exceed even that amount. As i, is now the
/. crop is about 125,OO0,OO0 bushels larger
| than it was last year.
f. The average annual receipts of potatoes
in this city is about 900 900 barrels. each
barrel containing from two and u half 10
,dwo and three-qlIarter bushels.
The local supply OF potatoes is received
I from different parts OF the country at diff
fercnt times Of the year. The new Bermuda
crop begins To arrive a bout February. These
potatoes sell at about 50 barrel at whole
sale. The Florida crop, which is compara
lively small. begins to come in about April
1, aad il usually sold AT the same price as
the Bermuda variety. A month or TWO later
the GcOrgia crop ma keS its appearance, and
the price ranges from 81 to s. Il barrel.
supplies come from the Northern sraboard
cities until about the latter part OF July.
Potatoes are also received in the fan rrvm
Scotland and Canada, but on account OF
the large domestic yield this year The i'm
portatioRs from these places will be insig-
nificant.
A small supply OF potatoes is shipped
from Bermuda in December, but as The crop
is So limited very few OF those potato oes ever
reach the local markets.
ONLY TEN STATES Producers.
There are only ten States of the Union
which extensively produce potatoes for
shipment TO market beyond their own Dor
ders. They are Maine, Vermont, New
York, New Jersey, PENNSYLVANIA, Michi-
gan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Vir-
ginia. Tennessee may also soon be added
TO the list. AS her product is increasing, and
among her potato plantations there is "a
single one which has over 900 acres Hnder
cultivation.
Ii used 10 he said that IL a farmer could
not sell bis potatoes for 30 cents a bushel
in the fall, ii was hardly worth raising
them. In many ot the Murphy" produc-
ing States the farmers are offering potatoes
already dug out Tor / q cents a busheI. The
average yield Of potatoes To the acre
tbrough hout the United States is 100 bush
els. The potato Is such a generally useful
article OF food that il is regarded abso-
utely essential to a family as bread.
II Is "a native OF Virginia, and is as old
as the country, as the Indians were using it
when Columbus discovered this continent
The name Irish potato was given IL
on account of the fact that the shipments
from this country during the famine saved
the peasantry OF that country from starv-
ing, and since then the name has bccoIue
quite popular.
The DID time potatoes We're the Mercurs
and Pink Eyes. the former long, smooth
wfIite-colored specimen, which. when b;ike
or boiled, would fall TO pieces in niealy
flakes. The Pink Eye was much smaller
and compact and round. with a purpiish
skin, from which pro lruded little pink eyes
which gave it its name.
The most acceptable varieties of today
are the Beauty Hebron. an Ohio production;
Burbank, Early Rose. and Star. Many OF
the potatoes grown in the Northwest in
lark rough soil are rank in taste and not
near So paiatable as those raised in New
York and Pennsylvania. AT one of the State
fairs In the West a potato was placed on
exhibition which weighed 200 pounds,
nd which. when placed upright. wasncarly |
as tall as the farmer who raised it.
Potatoes. though, when of abnormal
size, are too rank for eating.
POTATOES RAISED IN IRELAND.
The potatoes raised in Ireland sometimes !
reach this country, but as they are planted |
n wet bog land they are rough coated and
lark looking
Under the present crop estimate there
viii be five bushels OF potatoes in the couu-
-ry for every man, woman and child, with |
enough 10 spare. a thing heretofore unlIeard
lf iu this country.
What the causes are of this bouuteous
'icld can only be coniectured. The ravages
)f the potato bug a nd tue usual wet weather
'ot seemingly did not cut any figure this
rear in the supply. OF all vegetables they
Ire the most susceptible to cold, aud when
npped by the frost or frozen they are unfit !
or use aud rot with rapidity. If the COM
ns winter is severe one the care and han
ling OF this Immense crop will prove mat
er Of concern to the host OF consumers.
IN many Of the Western States the farm
RS have refused to dig the potatoes up, |
aying that ii is not worth their while.
prominent commission merchant on
avenue was seen today by
Times reporter, and when asked about
he great crop said:
"Pingreeism has had nothing whatever to
% with this enormous product. Potatoes
re selling here at from fifteen to eight.
en- cents a bushel. The men who retail |
hem sell them for fifty cents bushel when
whole bushel is bought. or eighty cents
usbel when purchased in small quantities.
here need be no starvation in the land |
his year. One of my customers in she
Vest wrote me the other day that he in
ended to buy in lot of hogs and fatten