The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1912-01-19
A STATEMENT
ON POTATOES
GOVERNMENT BUREAU SHOWS
IMPORTS AND EXPORTS.
SIZE OF THE WORLDS CROP

It 10 Between Five and Six Billion
Bushels--New York tho Largest
Producing State, with Michigan
Next and Maine Third.
The recent announcement that large
quantities OF potatoes are being I'm.
ported into the United States lends In
terest to q statement prepared by the
bureau of statistics. department OF
commerce and labor, showing the i'm.
ports and exports OF potatoes during
. term OF years. While the produc-
ctoa OF pota toes In tho United States is
usually sufficient to meet the require
ments OF it's population. there have
been a number OF occasions following
short crops in the United States on
which considerable quantities were i'm
ported On other occasions when there
were shortages abroad and large crops
IN the United States considerable guam.
titles were exported.
The total imports OF potatoes into
the United States IN the last ten years
aggregated 22,SI5,G34 bushels. valued
at $lO,8S5,I70. or about 4S cents per
6ushcl, this valuation being based upon
the wholesale market price in the coun.
tries from which imported. and does
not, therefore, Include the cost of trans
pOrtation or duties paid, the rate of
duty being % cents per bushel of sixty
Ia hnt kN 10, a
its immediate predecessor. The exports
OF potatoes from the United States
during the same decade amounted to
lO,DO56G bushels. valued at $S,413, ,675.
an average OF - cents per bushel.
Potatoes imported into the United
States come chiefly from Canada. Mex
leo and Bermuda. in America, and
Scotland. England. Ireland, Germany
and France. in Europe, while in recent
years small quantities have also been
brought from China. Australia and the
Canary islands, The potatoes export
-rnl America and Canada, the largest
quantities usually TO Cuba, Canada
and Panama and lesser quantities to
other Central American states and the
West Indies islands. Small quantities
have also been sent in recent years to
China. Hongkong British Guiana, the
Philippine Islands. French Oceania
and certain of the South American
countries, but practically none to Eu.
rope, which, although Il large consumer
'of potatoes. is also large producer.
The worlds potato crop. so far as it
can be measured Statistically, runs be
tween five aud six billion bushels per
aunum. but these figures do not in
clude the production OF China, north
Africa and most of South America, the
original home Of the potato. which was
found under cultivation in South Amer
dCa by the Spanish discoverers and
tranSp.auIed to Spain and thence TO
other parts of Europe Germany is by
far the largest single producer OF pO-
latoes. ter total crop for 1909 the
latest available figures. being 1.7lG0U0..
600 bushels against l.lT3O00. 900 in Ell.
ropean Russia. 6i3OO0.0OO I'm France,
4S0,OO0.000 in Austria. 1S4OOO.O06 In
lbt.Nh".N"N' III NIISUl blNtlU,
i20OOO!O0O iu Ireland. 99,U00000 in
Canada aud 3IT.OOo.OOO In the United
states.
New York II the largest potato pro
iucing state In the United States. her
product in 1910 being 44.500,0O0 BUSH.
els against 35.O00000 IN Michigan. 2s..
100000 IN Maine. 2S.O0O,0O0 in Penn.
sylvan.a. 25.0Uu.O00 Ia Wisconsin. To-
nsl.000 in Ohio. 12.866OO0 In Illinois
i2,225,Oo0 in lows sud about lO.0to. 600
bushels ea"h in Minnesota aud New
Jersey. while practically sll the re.
msinlng states are represented with
totals ranging from one to eight mil
lion bushels each.
The largest Importation OF potatoes
during the past decade was in 1909
being S,333, 900 bushels; the largest eI
ports OF the derade were In 1911, being
2,s3S. 900 bushels