The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1910-04-07
THE POTATO MARKET.

J. E. Merriam, large shipper of Cen
trail Maine potatoes, has changed his resi-
dence from New York city to Bangor. In
a talk last Saturday with Bangor Com
mercial reporter Mr.. Merriam said:
1.-THE market is very weak, weaker
than it has been since the spring of 1896,
when millions of potatoes were thrown
away as worthless in Maine. Last year
at this time the buyers were paying Cen
trail Maine potato raisers 81 bushel for
their stock; now the price is from rs cents
down. know buyer who sold carload
of large potatoes Friday for Is cents
bushel. In Aroostook potatoes are SELL
ing for 40 cents barrel. The low price
prevailed now for two weeks, and as far
as can see there is no prospect for an
advance
| 1.-THE farmers who raised potatoes in
the vicinity of Corinth and Kenduskeag,
/ as we'll as the farmers of Aroostook, are
bound to lose money by selling their stock
at this time of year for Is cents bushel.
They might have sold their potatoes in
the field for that price and split even.
But it is impossible to do so at this time
of year without losing money
Mr. Merriam thinks that as large an
area will be planted in Maine and in Cen
trail Maine this season as last, and bases
this opinion mainly on the fact that as
much fertilizer is being bought as last
year. He says there is no doubt that the
potato market is greatly overstocked at
the present time. New York State raised
last year Sc, 900, 900 bushels, which is a
great many more than were raised in
Maine, but the farmers of that State
are not so hard hit as those of Maine for
several reasons Maine ships all of her
potatoes, while New York consumes most
of hers and does not suffer so much from
an overstocked market The chief diff
ference, however, Mr.. Merriam said, is
/ this:
almost every New York State farmer
has little herd of cattle, so that when
the potato market falls off in price, as it
has this year, he can feed his potatoes to
his cows. Potatoes are good feed for
cows, and cooked, make an excellent
food for hogs. The New York State
farmer keeps a number of both and so
does not lose so much when he cannot
sell his potatoes for margin of profit.
With the price of grain where it is at
cents right on the farm, for food for
cattle and hogs. j.
eff every farmer in Maine, or ma
jority of them, had herd of cattle and
some hogs, as l believe they ought to
have, they could feed one-half CT their
potatoes to this stock and get higher
price for the other half than they could
otherwise obtain for the whole acreage
output, because they would thereby have
prevented an overstocked market. Again,
by keeping cattle the Maine farmers
would save a lot Of money now spent for
fertilizer. For little fertilizer goes a
long way when mixed with good dressing.
The United States Agricultural depart
ment has endeavored to persuade the
Maine farmers that it would be for their
best interests to raise cattle; and | as
suredly think so after looking the ground
over for long time. And believe that
some time in the future this thing will be
done in Maine
The opinion is expressed that the de-
mand for potatoes in Boston will be
greater in few weeks than it is now.
One man closely in touch with the situa-
ton told the Commercial that if he had
the time to devote to it for the next few
weeks he would like no better gamble
than to buy up number of carloads of
potatoes and store them in Boston right
now, for he believes that just the right
moment is coming soon when the man
with lot of potatoes right on the
ground can make a good thing by plac-
ing them in the market of the Hub.