Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1913-12-06

According to the 1910 census, al
most 26,000,000 people are located in
the middle west states. OF this &c.
000,00 over IL 100000 are residents
in towns or cities, and are therefore
non producers of food products. This
urban population is constantly on the
increase, and is, therefore, increas-
ing the demand for food products.
/ Now, the potato forms one of the big
elements of our food. 1t is estimated
that there were enough potatoes con-
sumed in 1911 to provide every man,
woman and child of this nation with
one 8-ounce potato each day of the
year.
The geographic location of Mich
igan makes the transportation of po-
tatoes comparatively cheap. Sur
rounded, as is the state, by water on
three sides, and provided by rivers to
the lake side, the annual crop can
easily be transported to the large
markets which exist to the south of
the state With his climate, his soil
and his markets all favorable, it is
surely up to the Michigan farmer to
produce suitable potatoes for the
growing markets which are at his
door.
Market Ideals.
There are certain general charac-
teristics of the potato stock which
, make il suitable for market.
First: Good potato stock should
be sound; that is, it should be free
from injury Occasioned by rough dig
ging, or from insects, such as white
grub, and the like. Potatoes which
are injured cause a great deal of
waste in pairing. The potato should
be absolutely free from disease Of
all kinds, such as scab, rot, or other
diseases which may affect the potato.
Good stock has not been partially
dried out by extreme heat; nor has
it been effected by frost.
Second: Good marketable stock is
regular in shape. In the larger
markets, the large amount of the po-
tato crop is used for baking. Rough,
unshapely stock is absolutely useless
for this purpose.
Third: Good salable stock is med
ium and even in size. For baking
stock, it is necessary for the potato
to be medium in size. Very large
potatoes are as undesirable for this
purpose as are tiny potatoes. Large
and small potatoes can be used Only
for mash potatoes.
Now, a great deal can be done to-
wards improving the potato stock by
careful grading at the time of dig
ging. Market buyers tell us that if
they could be sure that care of po-
tatoes were of uniform size, they
could guarantee a substantial prem
ium for such potatoes. The cost of.
grading is very slight, but there is
great opportunity for community to
make itself famous and establish a
select market by insuring an even
grade Of potatoes.
Fourth: The stock should be clean
and bright No one wishes to handle
a potato that is dull, scabby, and
dirty; although the interior quality
of the potato may be good, the very
fact of its dirt and ungainly appear
ance spOils the sale of such stock.
Fifth: The variety should be pure.
Looking over the stock on the Chi
cago market recently, we were sur
prised 10 find the great mixture of
varieties which were coming from the
different parts of the country. This
matter was discussed with some of
the large potato merchants of the
city, and we were surprised to learn
that in many cases there was no uni
formity Of variety.
For the common or poorer class of