Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-11-26

auROt ntAi aNetaSe. IN tnls VICINITY
which Is good potato growing district,
/ the crop Is not much over 90 bushels per
scre-shout half marketable. And il i
just as well az the prices offered; l.
cents l. the top price payable In trade,
and rs cents i the general price against
\ an account st the stores or In trash; and
remember IL YOU purchase goods at a
store with potatoes you will not get the
goods at cash price BY any means. All
the merchants In our town-and there l.
one Of the biggest stores and business
I firms In the province In this town-have
their goods marked with two prices, a
cash price, and credit price from 10 10
Is per cent higher. In paying with po-
tAtoes you must take the goods AZ the
credit price, so that In getting IL cents
IN this way for our potatoes, II has a
cash equivalent of about II cents per
bushel. \ few days ago was buying
some shirts in one Of our stores. | was
paying down with potatoes. One shirt
that | selected WAS marked sl.S0 In cash
and 81 - credit. rs the article was
not TO DC charged, expected | would
get Il for sls0; but the clerk said no,
against potatoes il would have 70 be
Sl.95. Il Just took IL l-5 bushels of po-
tatoes 20 purchase ths, shirt. So YOU
see the short crop i no very serious loss.
The buyers or merchants cannot be
blamed either, for this manipulation or
the low prices. There Is practically no
market for the island potato. ln Bos-
ton, our best market, they are quoted at
but 30 cents 20 81 cents, and putting
them on that market involves duty OF
l. cents bushel. besides freight rate
OF nearly - cents more; thus IL costs
the shipper 30 cents per bGshel 10 put
potatoes on the Boston market. At this
moment there are ten large vessels load
ing potatoes at Sourts Tor Boston.
These vessels are paying just IL cents
cash 20 the merchants for the potatoes,
80 that 20 clear themselves they must
obtain at least i6 cents per bushel in
Boston. Their hope, OF course, is an
expectation of rise in the market
esterday | got Is cents for a load of
potatoes against an account. The
merchant told me truthfully, as knew
previously, that though he was allowing
me i cents, he was only getting 10 cents
himself on 80 dsys. | said there was
not much prod, in such transaction As
that. But he said he had 10 pay Is
cents to induce the farmers 10 draw In
the potatoes, and also 20 get In his bills.
Very generous on his part, no doubt,
But II the low price Of potatoes is Bit
ter on the growers, il i doubiy so on
the merchants who have been advancing
goods for the last six months on the
strength OF the potato crop. The un-
scrupulous ones, however, will shift the
burden on their debtors where they can.
and frequent foreclosures and forced
sales will probably, Ia many cases. tell
their sad tale of woe. Happily, the
merchants of our town are good men
aud understand perfectly the situation,
and If they can at all tide over the de-
preston, they will injure no man that Is
honestly doing his best, let his best be
ever 80 little.
4 tOur-acre field of potatoes We had
was the admiration of every one who
saw il up 20 the latter part OF July.
The bugs, however, made a clean sweep
of IL, in one night, as Il were, and the
WELD al digging time Was 20 carts OF six
barrels each, and two loads from the
field win Just make one marketable load.
Nevertheless We are going 10 plant more
potatoes next year than ever.
We have been ia dairying on a more or
less extended scale for the past three
wears, having got on 20 the great dairy
wave. with our little skiff, that flowed
down from Ottawa about three years
ago. aud had its source In Prof. Robert
son et al. Our skii, however, would
barely paw expenses, notwithstanding
the fact that We read all the dairy litera-
ture. attended the dairy meetings, sowed
corn. and were even preparing 10 build
silo: so We are going out OF it-that Is
IL We were ever in IL, and VIII faii bacA
on our potatoes aud pigs and sheep.
since going into dSirying, We dropped
The pigs from our usual resources, and
the gentle COW did not nearly make up
the deficiency. We are now giving
away" our dairy cows, price - 10 SO,
with the exception Of TWO or three Tor
home use: but We will put eight sheep
i'm place of every COW between this ana
next fall.
our pigs will continue to give Us
home market for our small potatoes, ana
in wear like this our marketable ones
Too. Pork i now selling for cents per
pound cash. The sheep will manure the
potato crop, and turn Ia more than the
cows. besides. sheep and potatoes
makes good rotation, a. outlined In
these columns some time since.
This i the rotation that We are trying
20 get into: First year, winter rye To be
pl6wed under in June for crop OF rape
Tor lamb pasture; second year, potatoes (;
third wear. peas aud oats; fourth ana
ffrh wears. grass. We are trying 10
work up to the ratio of ten breeding
ewes 10 one acre Of potatoes, OF rye, ot
rsue. and of oats. Oats ere now selling
for ~ cents cash; -four is S4.5O.-Cor'
in Country Gentleman.