The Penn's Grove record., 1909-04-16
wheat. Corn and Potatoes soaring

Wheat, corii and potatoes, tile three
greatest food products grown, were neve
80 high in price as now, at one time, sine
the Civil War.
The advance in the price of wheat t.
SIPS a bushel last week in Chicago ant
to 81. 80 in Philadelphia has caused an
advance of 10 cents In the price of {
quarter of fonr in Penn's Grove within
few weeks. Wheat has not been so higl
for IL years. The cheapest grade OF foul
is now s5c a quarter and the best 95c.
Wheat is the staple grain for food in
the Christianized countries of the world
A larger population live on rice than
on wheat. Wheat is a native to the east
ern continent, and ante-dates history.
A~brahanl's sons went to Egypt to buy
corn, which was really wheat, of theil
brother Joseph who Lad been sold into
slavery. Wheat found buried with mum
mics in Egypt countless ages ago, has been
planted and crops grown from it.
Wheat was brought to the Western con-
tinent by Columbus and was grown ex-
tensively along the eastern coast until the
past thirty years when the vast prairies
produced cheaper crops and the growing
of fruits and vegetables became more
profitable, because of the city markets
nearby.
Thousands Of bushels of wheat use to
be exported from Salem county and boat
load after boat load use to be sent from
South Penn's Grove up to about thirty
years ago. Now Salem county docs not
produce enough wheat to feed its popu-
lation. Wheat is imported by millers.
AS it cannot be bought now even the
millers are importing -four to supply their
trade. City folks think the farmers
should be getting rich, but most OF the
farmers buy -four and few have wheat
Last years crop has mostly been sold by
the farmers and it is now in the hands of
spectators who have advanced the price
SO they can make millions off the con-
sumers of bread. One syndicate in Chi
cago is reported>as having 81, 900, 900 bu-
shells Of wheat and have forced some buy
ers who had to have wheat to pay $I.3
a bushel. When the farmers gather
their wheat crops next summer the specu-
lators will have unloaded last years crop
and they will not want to bny, so the
farmer will then get a low price.
Corn is also high in price, from So to 9Oc
centsa bushel. Corn is indigenous to
America and was not known in Europe
until taken there by Columbus. Hence it
is called Indian corn or maise. Corn used
to be exported largely from Salem coun-
ty, like wheat, but now there is not
enough grown to feed the horses, COWS
and hogs. Now thousands of bushels
OF corn and other feed for cattle are
imported.
White potatoes. another staple article
Of. flood, has advanced to a higher price
than for years. The dry weather last
July cut the crop very short in most of
the Middle and Eastern states.
Potatoes are a native of the mountain
districts of America from Chill to Mexico
and were not known in Europe until ia
ken there in the 10Th century. 1t would
seem that America should raise more
than enough potatoes to feed the people
i'll its native countries but owing to the
short crop thousands OF bushels have
been imported from Scotland and Ger
many this year, On which twenty-five
cent a bushel tariff was paid.
The Maine potato crop was fair last
year and was mostly used for seed. The
demand was SO great in March that
the price advanced from $1.2 5 to $3.50 a
bushel. The foreign potatoes are worth
about 81 a bushel wholesale.
White potatoes are not as extensively
grown in the region around Penn's Grove
as in former years, because the light soil
is more adapted to sweet potatoes. In
the lower part of the county, in the re-
gion around Salem more white potatoes
were planted this year than in former
years, while fewer late tomatoes for the
canhouse will be planted. An idea of tt e
increased interest III white potatoes may
be judged from the fact that one imple-
ment dealer at Salem sold over seventy
machines with which to plant white po-
tatoes. One farmer in Warrington has
the greater part of his large farm in white
potatoes and used three carloads OF fer
tilizer. i.
The shipping of new potatoes began
from Florida last week. $3.50 a barrel
was paid at the station.