Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-26
KENNEBEC COUNTY POTATO '4CROP
WORTH HALF MILLION DOLLARS.
Acreage Is Increasing and
Quality Of Product Un-
surpassed High
Price in Boston,

Over 100000 bushels of potatoes were
raised during the year l9o9 III ,lc coui-
ty of kennebec and as many lafiilers'
who planted small acreaSes last year
are planning to largely increase the
amount of land devoted to potatoes IT,
will not be surprising If the l9lo yleid
reaches a million bushels. A STEADY
increase has taken place each year
during the past few years IN the
amount of potatoes raised III TINS
county, indicating that kennebec
county is gradually coming into her
own as one of the great potato pro-
dncing counties of the state.
The Journal has during the past
month through the aid of it's cores
pondents made q reasonably thorough
canvass Of the various cities and
towns in the county for the purpose of
obtaining correct information in re-
gard to the amount of potatoes raised
in the county, the acreage planted and
the quantity of the crop already ship
ned. Returns have been received at
the Journal office from all except few
of the smaller towns and a cOnserva-
tive estimate places the potato yield of
49,
ready heard from for 1909 at 724,451
bushels The acreage planted as far
as heard from is 4416 acres. The yield
Der acre in many instances is as high
as 200 bushels per acre, which is phen-
omnal in view of the fact that previ
GUS to 1903 the average yield of all the
states in the union was but S4.7 BUSH
els. Shipments are not being rushed
yet as most of the potato raisers are
looking for an increased price very
soon, so that it is doubtful if one-fifth
of the entire crop has yet been ship
ped
The quality of potatoes raised the
past year is unusually fine and it is
the opinion of most people interested
in potato culture in Central Maine
that potatoes equally as good if not
superior to those grown in the north
err part of the State can be raised in
the Kennehec valley. Said one potato
raiser to the writer of this article:
when they tell you that they can
raise better potatoes in Aroostook
county than they can right here in
Augusta, don't you believe them.
Aroostook hasn't a thing on Kennebec,
either in peculiarly adapted SOIL yield
or size Of potatoes The fact that in
a number of instances Aroostook farm
ers have sold large farms in their own
county and purchasedssmallerf farms in
kennebec county upon which they
have for several seasons raised pota-
toes with considerably better results
per acre than in the county from which
they came would seem to indicate that
the Augusta potato enthusiast was not
speaking at random, but knew what
he was talking about.
Some statistics in regard to potato
raising in Maine are being collected at
THE Office of t." department of agricul-
ture All Of the figures for Kennebec
county have rot yet been tabulated so
that it will be impossible TO give them
in this article. The only counties for
which the entire figures are available
at the present time are aagadahoc,
York and Oxford. AS this estimate
gives to little Sagadahoc 1871. 800 bu-
shells, to Oxford, LOTT 900 and to York
719997, it is safe to predict that the es-
innate made by the agricultural de-
partment will prove considerably IN
excess of the figures given by our cor
respondents in Kennebec county.
1t should be born in mind that the
agricultural department in gathering
it's statistics in regard to potato rais-
ing, and the value and size OF other
crops as WELL has made use of the fol-
lowing method of estimation: The
statistic collectors have secured data
from 10 or more farms in the several
localities of each town. An average IS
then struck for each locality and for
the entire town. Such an average, it
is claimed, will be approximately cor
rect. It is obvious that the depart
luent had to follow such a method in
securing data from the entire State,
for it would be much too long and eX-
tensive a job to canvass each individu-
al farm in the State.
State Assessor w. J. Thompson Of
China, who for the past seven years
has planted from 10 to Is acres of po-
tatoes each year. and who was one of
the first in Kennebec county to use
present methods in potato culture on
a comparatively large scale. in an in
taryieu with a Journal reDorter Stnt &C