The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1896-08-08
NO FAMINE THIS YEAR.
Potatoes Cheaper IN -. Louis Than
They Ever Were Before.


They Ever Were Before.
Not for years has the price of pota-
toes been so low in St. Louisas at the
present time. Farmers in Missouri
and Southern Illinois have thousands
of bushels of the Irish fruit in the
ground and can not get enough for it
to pay for the digging. AS low as 81
per wagon load has been gladly ac-
cepted by the American Bottom farm
ers. Yesterday afternoon while a
"Globe-DemOcrat' reporter sat in 4
Fourth street commission house a far
mer entered and asked the dealer what
he would pay for load of potatoes.
The reply came: Il see you need Il
new straw hat. III buy you 30c one
! for your load: Last fall the price
of seed potatoes was very low and as
result the acreage greatly increased.
The season has been very favorable
to the growth of the potato, and in
consequence of these conditions St.
Louis dealers find offerings far in ex-
cess of what they can handle. The
same state of affairs existed in Min
nesota last year, due to overprOduction.
In this vicinity other causes have as
sisted in bringing about the Gepres-
sion of prices. Formerly New Orleans
and Mobile furnished the early pota-
toes for St. Louis. As soon as these
were out of the market a clearing up
was effected and the local producers
new fields have been opened and pour
in their prOducthere ahead of the Mis-
souri, and Illinois farmer. Arkansas
is one, of the notable additions 10 the
territory which is able to follow the
New Orleans and Mobile potatoes and
keep the local market closed to the
local consumer. St. Louis dealers as
sert that outside points have been able
to secure concessions in freight rates
to this market from the railroads,
while they, the home producers, have
SO far been refused assistance in NOV
ing their crop. The consumption in
st. Louis does not exceed 1900 bushels
daily, and when this is met and the
dealer is unable to ship anything at
present rates, he refuses to buy from
the farmer. A meeting of dealers is
to be held to-day, at which the situ-
alton will be canvassed and the rail-
roads asked to give rate to Texas,
and thus relieve the overprOduction
pressure.
The outlook now is anything but en-
coura aging, and unless the unforeseen
happens prices will remain depressed |
during remainder of the year. Many |
farmers already consider the situation
hopeless, and are blowing up their po-
tatoes to use the ground for other
crops. For good grade stock they can
get only from sc to &c on the track,
and it costs from &c to &c to dig them.
An illustration of the straits in which
they find themselves is given in the
case of farmer near East ST. Louis |
who is working his land on shares.
The agreement under which he works
Is that his landlord is to get half of
his crop. a wagon load of potatoes
was dug by him last week and hauled
eight miles to the nearest buyer.
There were sixty bushels in the load,
and the dealer paid him Sc per bushel,
or $3.50. The landlord got half of
this, or $40, and the diggers charged
&c per bushel for taking them out of
the ground. This took the other half.
1t cost Zoe to have the load weighed
The net results to the farmer. after the
use of his land. work and haul of eight
miles. was debt of 10c for weighing.
while his landlord and diggers took
he entire receipts from the sale.
Another incident of last week is told
by a buyer for St. Louis house who
vas sent to the American Bottoms.
A farmer drove up TO the station with
W. "diSOll lohuS VI l'OttllOCs anu pC |
gan dickering with the agent, who did
lot wish to buy. As he had much more
offered than he could use. Finally
he buyer said he would give 81 for
loth loads. to take them off the farm
RS hand. The agriculturist looked
Ii him in amaZement. picked up his ,
'eins and turned his horses homeward. .
When squarely out in the road. with
lis other wagon following. ne turned !
n his seat and called back: - guess.
Ulster. between the family and our ,
i've stock. we can eat more than 81
,ut Of these 'taters.'
Local retailers are able to buy their )
potatoes at from l2c to I5c. and are /;
making an effort to keep up prices. :
they claim their stock comes from a
Iistance-from Iowa and the bluff +,
districts of Missouri. However, the :
commission men point out the absurd !
ty of this claim when d surplus of q
I. s,rn+ -T.a..