Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1912-01-17
U. s. TRADE IN POTATOES.
Values Of Imports and Exports for
Term Of Years Compared.

Washington, jar. 13.-The recent
announcement that large quantities
! Of potatoes are being imported into
| the United States lends interest to
statement prepared for the bureau
of statistics, Department Of Com
merce and Labor, showing the i'm
ports and exports Of potatoes during
term Of years. While the produc-
tion of potatoes in the United States
is usually sufficient to meet tho re-
quirements Of it's population, there
have been a number of occasions fol-
lowing short crops in the United
States on which considerable Quanti-
ties were imported. On other occa-
sions, when there were shortages
abroad and large crops in the Uni
ted States, considerable quantities
were exported. The total imports of
potatoes into the United States in the
last ten years aggregated 22,S45,634
bushels, valued at $1O,9S5,77O, or
about 4S cents per bushel, this valua-
ton being based upon the wholesale
market price In the countries from
which imported, and does not, there
fore, include the cost of transporta-
ton or duties paid, the rate Of duty
being 25 cents per bushel Of sixty
pounds, both under the present law
and It's immediate predecessor The
exports Of potatoes from the United
States during the same decade
amounted to 10,900,566 bushels, val
ued at $S,423,675, an average Of IT
cents per bushel
Potatoes imported into the United
States come chiefly from Canada,
Mexico and Bermuda, in America,
and Scotland, England, Ireland, Ger
many and France, in Europe, while
In recent years small quantities have
also been brought from China, Aus
tralia and the Canary Islands. The
potatoes exported go chiefly to the
West Indies, Central America and
Canada, the largest quantities usu-
ally to Cuba, Canada and Panama,
and lesser quantities to other Cen
trail American States and the Wes:
Indian islands. Small quantities
also have been sent in recent years
TO China, Hongkong, British Guiana,
the Philippine Islands, French Oce-
ania and certain Of the South Ameri-
can countries, but practically none t,
Europe, which, although large con-
sumer Of potatoes, is also large
producer.
The worlds potato crop, so far as
1t can be measured satisfactorily,
runs between five and six billion
bushels per year, but these figures do
not include the production of China,
North America and most Of South
| America, the original home of the
potato, which was found under culti-
walton In South America by the Span
| ish discoverers and transplanted to
Spain and thence to other parts of
Europe. Germany Is by far the larg-
est single producer of potatoes, her
total crop for 1909. the latest avail
able figures, being 1,716,OOO,O 900
bushels, against 100000 in
European Russia, 613,OOO,OO0 in
France, S0,000,OO0 in Austria, 1884,
100000 in Hungary, 1877, 100000 in
Great Britain, 100000 in Ire
land, 99,000,000 in Canada, and
377 100000 in the United States.
New York is the largest potato
producing State in the United States,
her product in 1910 being 44,5OO,-
600 bushels, against 35,OO0,0O0 in
Michigan, 2S,000,O00 in Maine, 2S,-
100000 in Pennsylvania, 25,O0O,OOO
in Wisconsin, 100000 in Ohio,
12,750,000 in Illinois, 12,25O,OOO in
Iowa and about 100000 bushels
each In Minnesota and New Jersey,
while practically all the remaining
States are represented with totals
ranging from 100000 to 100000
bushels each.
The largest importation Of pota-
toes during the past decade occurred
In 1909, being S,333,000 bushels;
the largest exports of the decade oc-
CURED in 1911, being 2,233,000
bushels.
COMES OUICKJ,Y