Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1897-11-20
THE POTATO CROP.
Facts and Figures GiFen by a
81. Louis Paper, of Interest
TO Idaho GroH-ers.

d. Loufs FaDcr, or 1utercSt
10 Idaho GroHers.
There lisa shortage of Il 900, 900 bush
sels in the potato crop as compared with
last year. In addition to this it has been
found that many of the potatoes coming
10 market are uusound, aud that before
the winter is fairly en- rot win canse a
further decrease in the supply, which
<hreatens 10 send prices clear out Of
sight by aext spring.
In the immediate neighborhood of ST.
Louis the crop amounted TO almost moth
ing so far as its commercial value is
concerned. The celebrated .'snow-
fakes raised around BellYille are SO
small and of such poor quality that it
hardly pays TO market them. Whole
salers and commission men are depend
ing upon the supply from outside dis
itricts to fill orders sad are buying little
or no homegrown stock.
The immense shortage in this section
has caused an influx of shipments from
every quarter until now the tracks are
filed with train loads of potatoes, most
of which are of inferior grade. The re-
lceipts are so heavy that prices have
been kept down but dealers who are in
position 10 do so are buying in all of the
better grade stuff they can get hold of
IL anticipation of high prices later on.
1t is claimed that q large percentage Of
the potatoes that have been shipped in
to this market will not last half way
through the winter and that the demand
sill be so great by Christmas that good
stock will command premium prices
some say the highest prices for several
years
Crop statistics show that, compared
with the liberal yield of last year, there
is an appearant falling of of nearly 80
Per cent in tonnage, while the quality
OF the whole is deficient. County and
township returns from all the leading
potato growing states show the yield to
be f.i.OO0, 900. as against 2i5, 0O0. 900 in
1895, 2S6, 100000 in 1895, ls5,O00, 600 in
1894 and only 155, OO0, 600 in 1892. The
yield in the territory within radius Of
100 miles Of st. Louis fell short of even
the shor. crop in other sections, a large
percentage of it being practically fail
are
There are many causes for the 1897
crop disaster. The most notably are
blight and rot, which were brought
about by extremes of weather condi-
lions. Only in few states Is the crop
up to the average, while scarcely any
where can the quality be said to be
proportionately any better. In the
Northwestern states as a group the crop
was best. although the Michigan yield
is exceptionally good both as 10 quality
and to quantity. There is a general
but not serious shortage in all parts
of Canada that make speciality of po-
'tato raising, notably in Ontario and the
maratime provinces.
Taking the country at large it has
been found that the average yield per
acre is "a bushels, as compared with 81
last year, SO in 1895 and only 81 in the
short crop of 1892.
Yesterdays parket quotations ranged
from % TO % cents per bushel on grades
from common to fancy. This is for car
lots on track. The retail prices range
from 10 to Is cents per bushel higher.
One of the heaviest dealers in pOtatoe.
in this market said that in hisopipion 81
a bushel would not be considered par.
ticniarly high by the end Of January.