The Palatka news and advertiser., 1916-12-29
MORE WEALTH FOR
PUTNAM COUNTY
Every Aid Should be Given
Farmers to Till More
Land.

From present indications the Palat-
ka district will break all record for
the production of potatoes next
spring. and every encouragement pos
sible should be extended by the banks
and business men of Palatka to farm
ers who desire to plant potatoes.
This is a cash crop and with the great
shortage in production that exists
and that can not be supplied before
the Florida crop is made every acre
planted this winter is a valuable con-
tribution to the prosperity Of the
state and particularly to Palatka and
Putnam county.
The merchants of Palatka recently
made very immediate and liberal
response to call for an assessment
when they were assured that the
Southern Utilities Company would
move their general offices to Palatka.
The reason was that it would bring
substantial pay roll to this city.
Let US suppose that the merchants
of Palatka were called upon to en-
courage in like manner the extension
of the area under cultivation in
Putnam county, that efforts were be-
ing made to get twenty five farmers
each to cultivate forty acres Of land.
A fair estimate of the average gross
value of the crops on this land would
be $40 an acre, or total of $4,000
on twenty five forty acre farms.
Each of these farms would be in the
nature of a new industry with po-
tential capacity for expansion and in
creased earning power far in excess
of that of the occupation of the en-
ployees of an individual plant.
This lesson is brought more direct
ly home to US now when we figure
the record value of farm products
that is adding so much to the wealth
of the farmers. Latest dispatches
from Germany and England tell of
more alarming shortage of the Irish
potato crop. A Berlin dispatch says:
"The food plans for the current
food year have been badly wrecked
by the almost complete failure of the
potato crop, of which the figures are
now available According to the
Tagehlatt, only 21,O00,OO0 tons were
harvested this year, against 51,OoO,-
900 last year.
"This might have proved almost
disastrous, particularly as the pota-
to crop was not only quantitatlvely,
but also qualitatively a failure. so
that as result only one-third is.
many potatoes are available for the
current food year as during the one
ended last June.
"New plans have been made by
Count Batocki for pulling through
until next summer. The potato ra-
ton after January 1 will be three
quarters of pound per capita per
diem, and potato flour will no longer
be an ingredient of the legal war
bread, rye, being used in place of the
potatoes"
A Dublin Cablegram says:
Potatoes and eggs cost nearly
three times as much as before the
war. Children suffer for want of
milk and nourishing food At the
Rotunda Hospital the mortality rate
among infants is alarming.
Potato crop in Scotland, as we'll
as Ireland, is failure. For the first
time Scotch potato buyers are in Ire
land trying to secure part of the sup
ply for Glasgow. Formerly Scot
land raised not only all the potatoes
she could consume, but exported
from 100000 to 10,000,000 pounds
to England, which of course has the
effect of drawing heavily on Ireland's
supply for the need of England. The
authorities who are watch
ing the struggle insist that an en-
barge is impossible, as the army and
munition workers in England must be
fed first. The soldiers garrisoned
in Ireland eat at least 250 tons of
potatoes per week.
"There never was a time in Ire
land when the farmer put so much
money in saving funds and invest
ments. The last two have been boom
years for all who had farms to till.
There are probably 100000 acres
more under tillage this year than last.
"But the heavy rains, both spring
and fall, rotted the potatoes and the
crop is a failure, how bad is not fully
but probably from one
third to forty per cent. less than last
year. Potatoes are selling now at
close to cents per pound retail"
Let's get more farmers for Putnam
County. Every farmer means a big
increase in the payroll that will add
to the wealth and prosperity of Pa
atka and Putnam County.