Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1917-08-23
CONSERVE AND
STORE POTATOES
ADVICE GIVEN IDAHO cRoWeaa
BY THE FARM MARKETS
DEPARTMENT.
Greatest Question Now Confronting
the Potato Grower Is the Providing
Of Suitable Storage for the Pros
pective Abundant Crop.

Boise, Idaho.-The potato outlook II
discussed In State Farm Markets Bull
letin No. II, by Harvey Alfred, director
of the department Of Farm Markets,
who says:
We are assured by authorized rep
resentatives of our railroads that there |
Will be greater number of cars avail |
able for moving the crops Of 1917 than |
there has been ia previous years, on |
the condition, however, that shippers |
cooperate with the common carriers
to the extent Of loading all cars to tho |
maximum capacity, instead of the |
minimum as has been commonly done
In the past; also by shippers releas-
Ing all cars at the earliest possible
moment after they are received.
These railroad officials inform. me
that If this request be complied with
1t will be the means of providing an
additional three hundred thousand
cars for the moving Of our crops. II
Is also desired that shippers of perish
able products use box cars, Just an
long as 1t will be safe to ship In them,
before requesting refrigerator cars.
This will enable the common carriers
to provide us with a far greater num-
Der Of refrigerator cars, when 1t is
really necessary to have them, and
thus move the crops more quickly.
Prices and Markets.
Many potato growers are much wor.
ried over what they deem indications
Of dull market or low prices for po-
tatoes this fall. While it is certain
that ldaho's potato acreage, together
with that of many other states Compel
Ing with us on the potato market, Ia
much greater than last year and above
the ten-year average, there are condi-
lions governing the demands for all
food stuffs grown In 1917 that have
never before existed. Among these
conditions materially affecting the po-
tato market and which will have a
tendency to stiffen the price, are
First: The great necessity that we
as nation now must use a substitute
food for wheat, flour and meats. II
we aid our allies in the supplying of
foods to the extent that their people
may live and their armies continue the
struggle, we must provide them with
wheat and flour to a far greater ex-
tent than we have ever done before.
and because of the shortage of wheat
In the United States 1t means that we
must sacrifice much and provide a
substitute for flour, and nothing we
grow so readily serves the purpose az
the potato.
Second If this is correct, 1t is also
certain that there will be a greater
demand abroad for our potatoes than
we have ever known before. 1t is
staple food with all, or nearly all of
our allies, as we'll as many neutral
| countries which must now depend up
on the United States for their po-
tatoes.
The greatest question now con-
fronting the potato grower and the
world at large, Is the providing Of
suitable storage for this prospective
abundant crop until it can be moved
to the market, which we are certain
to have. All the common carriers are
bending every effort to provide, with
our help. the needed cars for shipping
Now, wish to warn the producers that
If they do not anticipate and guard
against a probable difficulty in NOV
ing their crops with profit at the
time of digging, their effort to increase
production, in answer TO the nations
call. Will in a measure be fruitless. On
the other hand, If they will prepare to
| properly cellar their potatoes, l have
every reason to believe they will not
have labored in vain. The people will
be fed and the profits to the growers
will Justify their great efforts.
l have frequently informed the
grower that he had little cause TO fear
that ruinous prices would prevail for
the early potatoes, despite the fact
that there was In the L. S. one of the
heaviest crops of early potatoes TO be
placed ON the market that we had
known in years. The correctness OF
our forecast has been proved, as evil
dence of which l wish To cite you to
government reports Of prices that pre-
vailed August 1, 1916 and those OF
August l, 1917. The L. S. depart.
ment OF agriculture, under date of
August 8. 1917, makes this statement
The average price paid August 1
1916, for potatoes in Idaho was S1.0C
per bushel. and that of August l, 1917
was S193. The average price paid
August l. 1915, for potatoes in the o.
S. was 96.4 cents per bushel, while
that of August l. 1917. was Sill. The
same conditions that will effect fall
and winter prices this year, entered
into the cause for higher prices being
paid for .early potatoes in 1917 than
We're paid in 1916.
Let the formers slogan be "Con-
serve and store your potatoes"