The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-05-12
NAMES BIG POTATO CROP
Railroads Are Helping to Make II
Bigger Yet.

twenty-five years ago OF more
there was undertaken in the State OF
Maine a colonization scheme by
which 1t was hoped to increase large
ly the population of Aroostock Coun-
ty, the largest and the most northern
county in the state A few hundred
Swedish Immigrants were induced to
move there, homes we're built for
them, land was given to them on
easy terms and In many other ways
the settlement was encouraged by
the state and It's citizens. All this
was done with view of making
something out of a part Of the state
which, LYING at the jumping off point
of the United States and poking
away up into Canada, as it were, had
remained practically undeveloped.
Today the town of New Sweden.
which these Swedish colonists found
ed, is the center of an agricultural
region of great and growing pros
perity These Swedish farmers have
spread all over the county. Their
farms climb the hillsides and nestle
In the valleys of section which be
fore their coming was regarded by
many as so much waste land, unin-
viting to the settler because of its
remoteness and improbable for ag-
riculture.
Today the product Of these Swed-
ish farmers and of ArooStook far
mers in general is known throughout
the length and breadth of this coun-
| try and Canada as well, is used to in
crease the returns of many farms far
removed from this part Of the coun-
try and enters into the daily sus-
tenance Of the people as do few other
| potatoes.
Maine isn't big state, but it pr
! duces more potatoes to the acre than
j any other State in the Union. The
average yield for the United States
Is 1861 bushels. The average yield
| for the State Of Maine is 21O.3 bush
els. Only the Rocky Mountain
states have come anywhere near ri
yalling Maine as the potato country.
Idaho comes nearest with yield of
200 bushels to the acre. New York,
the third potato state, yields but 100
bushels and Michigan but los bush.
els.
AlOOotOOh SOuuty piOuuStS uObl
of the Maine potatoes. Probably rs
per cent. of Maine potatoes are rails
ed within its borders. 1t exceeds all
other counties in the United States
in the production of potatoes. Its
farmers are, strictly speaking. potato
farmers.
The value of the Maine potato croI
in one year amounted to $10,225, 900
The value OF the entire potato croI
of the country was only S166,000,00(
in the same year. To move the
Maine potato crop requires hundreds
of freight cars. Great warehouse.
have been built to facilitate the
handling of II. These Aroostool
county farmers breed pedigree pota
toes as one would breed for cows
or horses. They try for differen
types OF potatoes as one tries fol-
blooded stock. And they send tn,
results of their efforts all over tn,
United States in the form of seet
potatoes from which the crops o
the country are raised These sect
potatoes bring from 81 to 81 a bushel
Peculiarities in soil and climat,
have combined TO make Maine tn,
potato state, but curiously enough
despite this wonderful success, the
business OF raising potatoes is still
confined very. largely to Aroostool
county, although in the opinion oil
those experts who have carefully In
vestigated potato culture, there Is
absolutely no reason why much Of
the tillable land In the state should
not be given over to 1t.
With this end In view there has
lately been started by the railroads
of New England, through their In
dustrial Bureau. an advertising cam
paign designed to induce people look
Ing for money-making possibilities to
investigate the profits arising from
the Maine potato and to cause a
spread of potato farms over many
other parts of the state. To get
some OF these Aroostook farmers to
come down from their northern farms
and show folks In other parts how to
raise their specialties IS one of the
objects OF the Bureau and already
this has been accomplished to some
extent.
Aroostook county is $50 miles
north Of Washington county, which
likewise touches the eastern frontier
OF our country. Yet Washington
county. with thousands of acres Of
land awaiting settlement, should
yield potatoes in the same manner a:
Aroostook county. Already there II
an indication of what can be done II
this line.
A little over a year ago the Indus
trial Bureau of the New England
Lines. as part of its plans for th'
upbuiiding of New England, started
an experimental farm covering SO,
600 acres Of land in Washington
county. A part OF this was virgin
land. II had to be cleared as the
J pioneers cleared the fertile farms Of
Wisconsin and other western states
Twenty acres were planted in pota
toes. The yield was $50 bushels e
the acre and the potatoes were pro
nounced by a Government inspector
from Washington to be the bes
which had come under his observa
ton in the entire state.
II Not alone was Il proved that tn,
soil In that part Of Maine would pro
duce potatoes, but to the surprise OF
experts, such as Prof. A. J. Bostel
Of the Geological Survey. It wal
shown that the potato here matured
much earlier than elsewhere. There
was the added advantage of some
what longer season than that possess
by the potato farms farther north
and a nearer market.
The value Of the potato crop to the
acre for the United States, according