Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1904-06-15
FARMERS CHANCE
a.
MANY LOST THEIR COTTON. BUT
NOT TOO LATE FOR OTHER
CROPS.
Suggestions by MIR. M. p. Russell as to
How Cotton Crop Losses May
Be Offset.
PINE BLUFF AS PRODUCE MARkET T


Since the downing out of )hous-
ands of acres Of cotton by ;Ae ,l0Gd
the farmers who have sustained los
-es are debating within their own
minds as to What Kind OF crops they
can plant their lands in that will
realize yAem any Kind Of return III
the place OF tho destroyed cotton.
In conversation With the Graphic Mi.
VI. p. Russell OF the wholesale firm
ii Russell Brothers made some val
liable suggestions which the Graphic
deems of enough value TO reproduce
1em fsr the benefit OF its readers
Who may have lost their cotton
crops:
MI Russell says that the mos Va
liable crop the farmer who has lost
his cotton crop can now plant is
lish potatoes Their is ALWAYS a
good market at Pine Bluff for IRISH
potatoes both Tor eating aud seed
purposes I.ast WiItar the mef=
chants of Pine Bluff had shipped
here and sold cut over loo carloads
of potatoes. over % carloads being
seed potatfoes Tie average is over
800 bushels to tl.a car making over
$4,000 bushels sold here, OF
which amount owe, A.ooo bushels
were seed potatoes Most of these
were c the Triumph variety. which
is the most yieldy and best selling
pntato that can be raised for this
market. 1t is also tie most certain
crop OF any of the varieties for this
section OF the country. The Triumph
potato realizes l'ae farmer from 81
to $1.35 a bushel Gu the local mar
ket.
NJ. Enssell said The past sea.
son we handled fifty-fiye cars of pro-
duce. for which We paid s25, $50, all Of
which products could have been grown
in jefferson county. We also handled
twenty-seven cars of potatoes. or IA
$50 bushels. for which we paid $12,S7S.
This added to the sum paid for other
produce than potatoes makes a total
of S3S,G2S paid out by us to the north
ern and California vegetable growers
which would have been spent here if
the farmers had raised the stuff so
that we could buy it from them. Of
course these figures only represent
what was handled by our house alone.
in carload lots. At least 100000
year is paid by Pine Bluff merchants
annually for farm and garden pro
ducts which can be raised in abund
anee right here in jefferson county,"
Any loose, loamy soil is adapted to
potato raising. and it is a crop which
can be produced with almost no la
Dor when compared with the labor
required to produce cotton Two
plowngs and small amount OF hoe
ing would be all the work necessary
The labor required to harvest the
potato crop is insignificant when
compared to that required to gather
the cotton.
Mr. Russell says that 100 bushels
per acre is only a half crop Of po-
tatoes. and at only 60 cents per
bushel would realize the farmer $50
an acre. which is more than is real
lied per acre on Gotten. A full crop
OF pOtatOees would be 200 bushels
per acre, and at only so cents per
bushel is return Of s120 per acre,
a reasonable estimate for potatoes
and far in excess of the returns on
cotton A potato crop would not in
the least interfere with the raising
of corn crop.
Mr. Russell says that potato crco
can be planted at any time until the
middle of July and have ample time
to mature. He says that it is an
easy crop to keep and place on the
market at any time when the farmer
may desire TO do So and that all the
trouble there is in keeping them is
to keep them from freezing which
can be easily done by banking them