Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-08
Monday, January 8, 1912.
Potatoes, Prosperity and Other Things.

Potatoes, Prosperity and Other Things
One of the most enlightening anC
at the same time interesting condi'
tionc in Maine today is the prosperity
Of her most law-abiding districts
Have you noticed the hundreds OF
thousands of dollars in mortgages
lifted this year in Aroostook and Som
erset? Well, it is matter worth
giving thought. Potatoes" you say
Well ii is long crop of potatoes and
attention to business, and a short
crop of rum and consequent inatten-
ton to duties, also d direct loss. The
starch of Names potato crop stiffens
the hack of her courage and finances;
but there is something more than po-
tatoes in the prosperity of Aroostook,
Somerset and several other Maine
counties which are Overwhelmingly
opposed to the liquor traffic.
Speaking of potatoes. however, the
following statistics compiled by the
United States Bureau of Statistics at
Washington is worth reading care
fully:
The recent announcement that large
quantities OF potatoes are being i'm
ported into the United States lends
interest TO & statement prepared by
the Bureau of Statistics. Department
of Commerce and Labor. showing the
imports and exports of potatoes dur
ing term of years. While the pro-
ductien of potatoes in the United
States is usually sufficient to meet the
requirements of its population, there
have been a number of occasions fol-
lowing short crops iii the United
States on which considerable quanti
ties We're imported. On other occa-
sions, when there were shortages
abroad and large crops in the United
States, considerable quantities We're
exported. The total imports of po-
tatees into the United States in the
last ten years aggregated 22,S45, 634
bushels, valued at sl0,9S5,7 no. or about
As cents per bushel, this valuation be-
based upon the wholesale market
price in the countries from which
imported and does not, therefore, in
clude the cost of transportation or
duties paid. the rate of duty being
% cents per bushel of 60 pounds both
under the present law and its imme-
late professor. The exports of pota-
toes from the United States during the
same decade amounted to 10000 566
bushels. valued at $S,413675, an aver
age of Il cents per bushel.
Potatoes imported into the United
States come chiefly from Canada.
Mexico, and Bermuda in America, and
Scotland, England, Ireland, Germany
and France in Europe, while in re-
cent years small quantities have also
been brought from China. Australia,
and the Canary Islands. The potatoes
exported go chiefly to the West In
dies, Central America and Canada,
the largest quantities usually to Cuba,
Canada, and Panama and lesser guam
titles to other Central American
States and the West Indian Islands.
Small quantities have also been sent
in recent years TO China, Hongkong.
British Guiana, the Philippine Islands,
French Oceanic, and certain of the
South American countries, but prac-
tically none 10 Europe which, although
a large consumer of potatoes, is also
a large producer.
The worlds potato crop, so far as
it Can be measured statistieally, runs
between 5 and billion bushels per
annum, but these figures do not in
ciude the production of China, North
Africa, and most of South America
the original home of the potato, which
was found under cultivation in South
America by the Spanish discoveries
and transplanted to Spain and thence
to ether parts of Europe. Germany
is by far the largest single producer
of potatoes, her total crop for 1909
the latest available figures. being1716
million bushels, against 1173 million
in European Russia, 61S million in
France, 4S0 million in Austria, 1S4 mil
lion in Hungary. 1877 million in Great
Britain, 120 million in Ireland. 80 mil
lion in Canada, and 81 million in the
United States.
New York is the largest potato
producing State in the United States,
her product in 1910 being Az million
bushels, against 80 million in Michi-
gan, Is million in Maine, 2S million in
Pennsylvania, 25 million in Wisconsin,
j. million in Ohio. u 2-3 million in
Illinois, 12h million in Iowa, and
about 10 million bushels each in Min
nesota and New Jersey. while prac-
tically all the remaining States are
represented with totals ranging from
one million to million bushels each.
The largest importation of potatoes
during the past decade occurred in
1909, being 1-3 million bushels; the
largest exports of the decade occurred
in 1911, being 1-3 million bushels.