Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-08-07
GOOD POTATO CROP
High Lands Give Big Yield of
Tubers This Year.
BLACKBERRIES And APPLES SHY
Fruits Do Not Fare as Well as Vege-
tables-Sweet Corn is Plentiful
and the Ears Are Well Filled-No
One Will Go Hungry.

"Hows that for potatoes?" said a
farmer from near Agency yesterday.
He was Offering for sale, and with a
great deal of just pride, as fine wag-
on load of potatoes as one could eX-
pect to find any where. Il have lots
more of EN- too, and say you never
saw as nice ones as there are this
year. l have the biggest potato crop
| have had for several years, and just
look how large and solid these are
continued the farmer.
Now some of my neighbors who
have land that is little wet didn't
have such good success. One of them
lost the most o fhis crop. Too much
water and they rotted in the ground.
Did you ever notice that potato can
not stand continued dampness for any
length of time without spelling? Well
it's a fact anyhow That will cause
great loss in the potato crop this sea
son but for all that there will be a
big crop this year. The acre. ge has
been greater in my neighborhood and
have been informed that the same
conditions exist throughout the entire
state. Anyhow I have plenty but
won't sell 'em if stand here all day"
So he drove on down the street and
the long drawn cry of POTATOES" was
again taken up by this contented tiller
of the soil. Potatoes are now selling
at 40 cents per bushel at the various
grocery stores in the city.
BIackberries.
Our grocer was talking about the
supply of fruit to number of lis
/ teners this morning What was that
you said about the blackberry crop be-
ing failure this year? Well it certainly
was. Why it was practically a total
failure. If it hadn't been for the Mich
igan berries this year guess we would
/ have had to Go without them The
apple crop this year is going to be a
partial failure. The fruit hasn't rip
ened as well as it should and then
the farmers tell me that the heavy
winds shook large quantities of the
apples to the ground. Some of these
| We're picked up and sent into the mar
| ket but We retailers find ithdifficult to
/ dispose of them as they arernot IN the
best o. condition. e
Let me see. We were talking about
waternelons The first of the week
weren't we? uAVell they still say that
I lHS ClOD ILLS ytidl Is SOiuS W NC oiioi T..
Sometimes you know these reports are
exaggerated but believe that the
supply of melons is going to be linn
! tied this season. The melons are bet
ter now than they were at first, aren't
they? l can sell you good melon
for 20 cents thiasmorning. That seems
a pretty high price know but we
have to pay SO high for them that
there is little in, it for us at that.
Here's something that is right this
year. said the grocer, as he pointed
to large pile of sweet corn. ''Tho
corn this summer is sweeter thar
usual and is filled to perfection. Every
row in this ear is filled clear to tie
tip. If the field, corn is filled as well
there, will certainly be a big crop in
4 Iowa. I have sold more sweet corn
this year than l have in any season
since / have been in business l am
now selling dozen ears for 10 cents
4 One thing sure. the people of Iowa
are going to have plenty to eat. The
scare about wet weather was uncalled
for and there will be plenty for all.
Local Market.
The local markets today are as fol
lows: