The Coconino sun., 1916-12-29
POTATOES
SHOULD RULE THE
ARIZONA MARKET

The name is attached because Flag
staff is the commercial center of a
large region in northern Arizona
where the finest potatoes in the world
are grown, in limited quantity only,
for the reason that most people there
about are too busy running sheep,
herding cattle and saving lumber, to
be fully alive to their opportunities.
Flagstaff sends a few carloads of
spuds to Phoenix, annually, but should
send ton at least for every bushel
now produced and in the same pro-
portion to many other parts of Ari-
IONA. ......
Most of the potatoes consumed in
Phoenix in the winter come from Cali
fornia. Locally grown potatoes are
as good as anybody's but they will not
keep. They must be used in the po-
tato season. Flagstaff potatoes are
grown by natural rainfall on partial
dry farming methods and the tonnage
is just as notable as the quality. The
freight from Flagstaff to Phoenix is
rs cents. The freight from California
is 65 cents. The difference is met by
lower quotation from California and
the fact that the golden state always
has potatoes to sell. Much of the time
Flagstaff cannot furnish them. Why?
One of the answers given by Phoenix
merchants is that Flagstaff asks for
her product a price still greater than
the difference in freight and that the
buying public is not discerning as to
the difference in quality. Within the
week the writer has eaten both Cali
fornia and Flagstaff potatoes. The
first are rotten, both literally and
figuratively. Besides they are scabby
and there is great waste in preparing
them for use. The Flagstaff spuds
are clean, smooth and sound. If the
buyer would not only realize it they
are worth a cent a pound more to his
pocketbook.
Another alleged drawback for the
Flagstaff grower is the fact that when
potatoes are most in demand in Phoe-
nix they are apt to freeze in transit
from Flagstaff, or even in removing
them from storage to the cars. II
this be true, in our. judgment it can
be easily overcome by common inge-
nuity. If there is no other way a
grower who had anything at all to
work with could ship them to Phoenix
before the frigid season and hold
them for the market.
We cannot perceive why fortunes
could not be made with very small
capital by growing potatoes in guam
tity in northern Arizona and selling
them in the markets of central and
southern Arizona. We do not know
what the costs to raise potatoes in
northern Arizona, but we do know
that land is cheap, irrigation is not
needed and the yield is abundant. We
believe that he people of northern
Arizona are asleep on this subject.
We know that the people of southern
Arizona are asleep as to the desira-.
bility of having home grown potatoes
in the home stae. 1t will pay Phoenix,
for instance, to get busy. 1t will pay
Flagstaff still better to get busy. We
know the immigration commissioner
of Coconino county will do his part in
furnishing facts, either to the man
who wants to buy potatoes or the land
on which to grow them.
We know that Coconino county is
the finest place in the world for the
summer tourist and that an inter
change of relationship between that
county and southern Arizona along
summer outing lines is fast develop
ing. But we believe a commercial re-
lationship of still greater Importance
can be established when the people
of the two sections will it so. Range
industries and lumber are now the
principal excuse for Coconino county's
presence on earth, but the children of
today will live to see the time when
agriculture or at least diversified
farming, which includes live stock,
will outrank them.--Arizona Maya
zine.