Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-01-10
Wednesday January 10, 1900.


BILE or expense as can corn, oats o.
wheat; but the trouble and expense
are very little greater than is required
for these crops, and usually not only
the market value, but the profit te
the grower, is much greater.
At one time last fall Irish potatoes
retailed in Yorkville at 40 cents peck
or SIG a bushel, and at this writing
they are retailing at 25 cents peck
OF course, the local crop last yea,
was partial failure, and that may
have had something to do with the
high prices, especially just before the
northern crop was harvested but al
these prices potato raises could have
made money even off the short crop
and there would be hig margin o.
profit for the producer at this time
For instance, a local dealer told the
reporter the other day that he alone
had sold as many as so bushels of po
tatoes in week, and while this dealer
is probably the largest in Yorkville, it
would seem safe to put the local con
sumption at not less than IS bushels
week, valued at So, $50 a year.
That the consumption of potatoes is
steadily growing in this section is also
a settled fact. While hominy is still
the great food basis in this section and
throughout the south generally, the
number of potato consumers is con
stantly increasing. The consumption
of potatoes is not confined to any
class. The hotels are bound to have
them all the time-almost as regularly
as bread-hundreds of private families
use them daily, and the demand in the
cotton mill settlements can hardly be
supplied. If it were practicable right
now to give the total sum that York
county is each year sending away for
the single item Of Irish potatoes, which
can be raised as cheaply and as per-
fectly here at home as anywhere on
earth, the figures would be startling.
If every farmer in the country
should put forth all his effort raising
potatoes, there is no doubt of the fact
that the local market would be glut-
ted so that the price would hardly be
sufficient to pay the price of hauling
to the towns. But still every farmer
can undertake to raise few potatoes
without any such danger. Properly
cultivated and intelligently handled
after harvesting, potatoes would have
on the farm a value similar to that OF
corn. oats and wheat. They can be
used not only for the table; but also
for feeding all manner Of stock. IT the
worst comes to the worst, they can be
converted without loss into horse
power, into pork fat, into chicken feed
or into milk and butter. So, under
these circumstances, potato raising is
a safe proposition on any aud every
farm. Each farmer who gives his at
tention to the industry on a small
scale, or as large one as he may see ht,
will be in position to protect HIM
self against loss and at the same time
have many opportunities during the
year to convert a bushel Of potatoes
into dollar which might otherwise he
difficult to get.
The raising of potatoes is an easy
matter. All that is necessary is to
thoroughly prepare good ground, fer
tilize the same if necessary, and
plant potatoes as soon as the danger
from frost has passed. Then, with
the first good season, cover the bed
to depth of two or three inches
with pine or other forest leaves
or with wheat straw, or almost
anything of that general charac
ter. 1t is pretty well understood now
that potatoes so covered rarely suffer
from bugs, and, further, they require
no more attention until they are ready
to dig, though they should not be dis
turbed until they are fully ma'ured.
The second crop may be easily raised
in the same way but in its case the
top covering is not so necessary, as bugs
are rarely so destructive TO the second
crop as to the first.