Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1916-12-19


Johndee and Andy: we don't care
whether It did or not. this last one
brought a suggestion from Friend
Wife (she's good at susgesting) that
inasmuch as our wings weren't in
working order on Saturday morning
we'd probably be around under foot all
day, or words interpreted by us to that
effect. Somehow she thought Of po-
tatoes before we did and, as we had
prepared no excuse. we went down
cellar and busted ourself sorting pota-
toes.
Now picking over potatoes for mar
ket may inspire poetry In some (Pats
and Knocks, for instance) but In our
case started US of on the hopeless
maze of the extravagancies of the 30"
called American standard Of living.
without the shadow Of doubt most
of us DO buy things we don't need
and waste things that We have Tor
which many other people would be
thankful For instance, when dour il
s12 a barrel we don't use any more
corn meal than when -four 10 IS per
bbl.; and when potatoes are 81 per
bushel we use just as many and buy
no more rice to take the place OF them
than we did when potatoes were only
40 cents a bushel. We get notion as
to what is best and think we must
! cling to that notion-and sometimes 1t
isn't the best.
Well, we got to running over those
things in our one-track mind while
| sorting 'taters. and then we noticed
that the small spuds, those too small
for market, were the smoothest, clean
est and best. The worms and the
witch grass seem to have notions, too.
and devote themselves to the big ones
and the medium size that the potato
digger missed mangling. We picked
up some of those little fellows. so small
that two would no more than I'LL the
shell Of a good sized fruit Of the hen.
We opined that these were better
spuds to eat than the big scraggly ones
for which we fondly hope to receive
81 so per bu. We built up a conviction
that these smooth little pink and white
baby murphys slightly sozzled in cold
water and then rolled into hot oven
would come out fit for a king. when a
little cream and salt should be added
not to the king, but to the baked po-
tatoes.
The more we thought of It, as we
sorted potatoes, the more we were
convinced that the big potato notion is
a false one. And, as our potatoes this
year are mostly little ones. we could
easily see that the most of those in
that bin were going to the hens, cows
and horse.
Right there the big idea blossomed.
We sat back and looked at the lantern.
1t offered no criticism Of the idea, SO
it (the idea) grew. Why not? We
couldn't think Of any reason why not.
And so we worked it out. 1t is simple
enough, as we said before. It is this:
All we have to do is to sell the big
potatoes and eat the little ones. of
course charging ourself a low price for
a grade that won't market. While
other folks are paying so for an H.
pound peck, we're planning to give our
self good measure at about rs BUSH
ell
But where is the get-rich part. you
ask? Why. we propose to put that
small potato money in the bank, and
then, if we can raise small potatoes
enough, eat enough. and live long
enough-why anybody can see where
we're comm out, can't they?
OF course there is a draw back to
this, as there Is to everything else. and
we mention ours in strictest confidence
we haven't yet dared to break the
good news to Friend Wife.