Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1912-05-31
White River Valley Potato Contest
Aqsin Interests Farmers.


in northern and central Vermont.
Forty dollars in gold is being offered
in prizes to the most successful con-
testants by the White River railroad
through the initiative of C. D. Parker
& Co., Boston bankers, largely in
terested in the road. This money is
divided into four prizes, first of 500
for the best acre of potatoes raised this
year, second of $40 for the
second best acre, third and fourth
prizes of SIS each for the third and
fourth best acres. In addition to these
prizes, the railroad is offering $40 in
gold for the best yield of apples from
an orchard of six trees and a second
prize of SIS for the next best yield from
an orchard of the same size. The town
of Sherburne has been added this year
to the list of places in which contestants
must raise their crops, so that the ter
ritory of the prize district now in
cludes Stockbridge, Hancock, Granville,
Rochester, Pittsfield, Gaysville, and
| Sherburne.
Similar prizes were offered last year
and in 1910, stimulating great activity
among the farmers eligible as contest
ants, and arousng widespread in
terest among agriculturalists through
out the state. This responsiveness has
caused the White River railroad to hold
the contest again this year, for the
eagerness shown by the competing
farmers indicates that these contests
are of real value in calling the farmers
attention to the productive possibilities
of Vermont soil.
Three years ago the railroad dis
covered, upon investigation by experts,
that the soil of the White River valley
was very similar to that of Aroostook
county, Me-, where farmers have
grown rich in the last few years by
raising an increasing acreage of pota-
toes each year. Aroostook's crop last
year was at least $1,000, 600 in value,
representing a gain to the farmers of
50h in one year. The railroad reported
the result of its Investigations to the
: farmers and induced competition in
potato cultivation by means of prizes,
: for the management felt that once
experience had proved the districts
possibilities to the farmers, the latter
would act on their knowledge and
develop the region by growing rich
themselves.
, From market, importation, and cen.
= sus reports, it is now possible to state
. positively that potato raising in the
q United States, and particularly in New
f England, will return the grower an I'M
e usually large and assured profit, per
\ haps bigger than can be secured from
t any other single crop. From recent
n investigation made by the Boston
Herald, it is shown that the retailer.
S profit on potatoes averages 2S% of thei
cost to him, the wholesalers make 3159
? on the cost to him, but the farme
: makes 270% on the actual cost of pro
ducing potatoes. Thus, the farme
:, not only gets the biggest income on hi
e share of the money invested in the bust
S ness, but larger percentage return
:. than is being made in almost any othe
g enterprise.
e The reason for the farmers ability t
command such a return is found in tn
fact that domestic demand so far eX
ceeds the supply that it is now neces
sary to import potatoes. They ar
coming into New York now at the rat
? of So, 900, 900 worth a month, accordin
n to the Wall Street Journal. These in
id ported potatoes, on account of highe
Y. foreign production cost, the expense {
er long carries, and protective tariff {
e. 25 cents bushel sell at higher figure
~ But they must be had, even at this hig
ir price, and this means that the domesti
1T growers get the benefit of these hig
I'd prices without the importation cost
IN Hence, the big profit to the America
te farmer.
e. The census figures tell why domest
is supply does not equal domestic demand
VS. Forty years ago when supply and d.
ne mand more evenly balanced, only on,
k. sixth of the population lived in tt
is cities. Today over one-third of tt
American people are urban dweller
l., and in no part of the country has IL
n drift to the cities" been more marke
IL than in New England. This meal
ct that the present demand upon eat
an farmer for his products is over twice
es great as it was in 1870, and that Il
I'd New England farmer has an advantai
IL over farmers elsewhere, in that he
IT. next door to the markets where this
st mand is most acute. By employir
ed advanced agricultural methods, whi'
an means labor saving and a bigger vie
DIS per acre, there is no reason why We