Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-01-20
STATE HOUSE.
c. f. Embree Talks of
Potato Marketing.
Has Been Accusing Interest
Among Maine Farmers.
Pharmacy Commission Report Has
Fling at Prohibiiory Law.
STATE HOUSE CALENDAR.
Regular Meeting of Governor and
Council, Friday, Feb. 9, at 10 A. M.

Sou"e'ii rrloay, feb. y, at TO a. M.
Tho work which &. T. Embree. sales
manager of the Long Island Potato
exchange at Riverhead, " y, is doing
in this State, under the direction of
Commissioner of Agriculture John p
Buckley. in arousing Maine farmers
To the need Of organizing co-opera-
i've associations of potato growers
has attracted the attention OF the bu-
feau of plant industry of the United
states department of agriculture. and
J." 9. Corbett, the horticulturist in
charge of this bureau, has written Mr.
Embree upon the subject of farmers
marketing associations asking him for
any Information that may be Of value
Ia the department. Commissioner
Pearson of the New York department
OF agriculture has also heard of Mr.
Embree's work and has written him
Tor information concerning it,
Mr.. Embree has been addressing
Farmers Institutes in Maine upon the
subject Of cooperative marketing for
several Weeks past and will probably
remain in this State until about the
middle of February
Mr.. Embree was at the state House
Friday, and discussed the situation in
Afoostook county from which he has
recently returned. in a very interest
ing manner.
In 1894, l.496929 bushels of potatoes
Wcre shipped from Aroosteek county
While in 1911 tine total shipments
amounted to 11.5s7, &C. bushels" said
Mr.. Embree. THE shipments of 1910
however. We're very considerably i'm
excess Of those of 1911. I'm that wear
there WAS shipped over the Bangor
& Aroostook II, ISL ,6Sa bushels of DO
tatoes, over the Canadian Pacific .
21001o, and over other railroads 133,
$50. bushels. For starch 1920. 001
bushels were used while for local con-
sumption 10000 bushels We're taken
an6 the Arn0stook farmers used for
seed las 100 bushels. In addition to
this 500, 900 bushels We're lost by fires
in potato houses, making the total
product II .349, 265 bushels The total
amount of the 1911 crop shipped up
10 Jan. l, 1872, upon the Bangor &
Aroosto1k and Canadian Pacific rail-
roads Was $3.50, coo. while in the eight
following days, that is. up to Jan g.
$4,000 more bushels were shipped
The average price paid per bushel up
To Jan. l vas only about &c cents,
which seems TO he remarkably low
with the wonderfully productive
soil of Aroostooh county. believe
that the production of potatoes will
be increased there So that the output
Will possibly reach 100000 bushels
While this prediction might appear
~. trs,t - =
dictions made lay leading men of Al
fails who are familiar with tie coun-
try and it's soil | believe also that
the population will increase sufficient
~ fast so there will be a market for
all the increase in production.
The present method of marketing
tho potato is crude and Very waste
full The Maine potato is shipped into
the markets of New York without any
system; 80 or - ears are just as LA
bic to arrive at a time when tie rail-
roads have placed an embargo on
further arrivals in the yards as they
are to come in when the market is
strong. In this way thousands of dol
lars have been lost to the shippers
and growers. II the potatoes arrive
on the strong market with an upward
tendency no dealer will refuse to take
up the drafts But if, on the other
hand. potatoes arrive on a weak mar
ket with downward tendencies large
number of dealers win refuse to take
UP the drafts. Consequently these
potatoes are thrown on the hands of
the shippers with disastrous financial
results. In one case with which | am
f,,y, Ifo,. Iii ,r q {
teen cars, the shipper. because of the
draft not being honored. suffered a
loss of $1,000
1T is no use TO complain Of meth
DDS without suggesting a remedy. II
is planned to first agitate the question
at the Farmers Institutes, as is al
ready being done in this State in the
hope that it will be taken up by the
farmers themselves and worked out
To practical results.
ct is first proposed that the farm
ing communities in the states of
Maine and New York are to be or
ganized in what is called locals. then
representatives from each local will
organize n State or central body with
headquarters to he located at Bangor
VI fti tidIfi anu any ptiitl
center in the State that may be se-
lectad. THEN there will be another
central body at Boston and still an
other at New York. These central
bodies will not necessarily control the
action of the locals, but they will
rather act as a guiding and a direct
ing influence. When tho market CEN
ters are overstoeked, while the organ
ization does not propose to control
prices. 1T does propose to notify tbs
Genital body in Maine of the condf-
tons and that in turn will notify the
locals and shippers, trusting to their
intelligence to feed the market as the
| farmer feeds his cow
"Tsis farmers movement does not
propose to eliminate the shipper but
on the other hand it seeks to nave the
shipper work with the farmers, be-
| leiving that the interests of the grow
er. the shipper. and the reputable
dealer are identical. The slow prog
! ress of the movement in the past has
been caused by lack of funds but now
| that the department at Washington