Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-03-27
....SEARSP0RT
Prospects For Next Seasons
Potato Crop Fer Aro0stoOk
Farmers-PrOf. Frederic
Ross Sweetser to Be Engaged
at Searsport.

In an interview with Wilbur w.
Hubbard, president Of. the Hubbard
Fertilizer co. of baltimore, Md. and
former president nI the National Fer
tilizer Association. in regard to trade
conditions, Mr. Hubbard said that in
his judgment the farmers of Aroostook
would have another prosperous year in
1917. as well as the past year. He
said that with 100 potatoes in a bush :
lei, with a total production OF $50, 600
0G0 bushels, means only five pecks or
Us potatoes this year for each Ameri-
can, or one potato every three days
for each person in the United
States, and that on account of the
high prices that have ruled for the
past. 80 days, the farmers have
he hSinduCed to sell so close that
thAlesi is a question as to whether there
viii be sufficient seed potatoes left to
plant \ normal crop and that this be-
ing IN case, it looks as If the Aroos-
| took. farmers are assured Of another
successful YEAR
Mr.. Hubbard also stated that the
farmers of this locality were to be
congratulated on having made con-
tracts and purchased their fertilizers
f)r potatoes at the prices that they
have done, because the manufactures
could not today buy the materials for
the money al which they have sold
their goods to their customers.
To illustrate what the farmers will
have to pay in the old world. Mr..
Hubbard stated that on Tuesday of
this week, their Baltimore house load :
ed 5000 tons to go to Norway on the
Steamship Liv, and that the Overseas
Co., in order to get this steamer to
freight the goods. had to pay $50 per
ton for freight. whereas before the
war it was S4.25,. and then in order to
insure 1t against attack by U-hoats,
they paid the insurance company $40
per ton insurance. making freight and
insurance to be $4,000 per ton- beside
the cost of the goods. This illus
trates how desperate the people on the
other side are to obtain plant food with
(which to grow their crops. -,
There is every indication that fer
tilizer in general will be higher. be-
cause of conditions brought about by
the European war, and Mr.. Hubbard
stated in his interview that he had
been in business 40 years, and had
never known conditions such as they
are today. to exist. To illustrate this
he said that the fertilizer bags that
come from Calcutta, India. are now
being used by the Allies for throwing
up Notifications; each soldier carries
along bag in which he puts earth,
and each 100000 soldiers could throw
up a fertilization of 100000 bags, and
lie down behind it and fire their guns.
and IL they gained 20 yards, they
their Notifications. The result is that
bags have jumped in price from "A
cents to 1Sa cents each
Nitrate of soda. which enters largely
into potato fertilizer, has greatly en-
HANGED in price for two reasons: first
because it is being used In the manu-
facture Of war munitions. and second,
since the Panama Canal caved in,
some months ago, the fertilizer has to
be brought around the Horn.
Sulphate Of ammonia comes from
England and Scotland: this is now cut
of and has advanced $4,000 per ton.
Pyrites that comes from Spain, from
which sulphuric acid is manufactured,
is now cut off; and sulphuric acid is
also used in the manufacture of war
munitions. and it has advanced from
$500 to $50 per ton. Sulphuric acid is
used by fertilizer men to dissolve their
bone and phosphate rock, and It does
certainly seem that fertilizer will be
very much higher.
When we asked Mr.. Hubbard what
tn his judgment would be the result Of
the potato crop with practically no
potash now being used in the fertil,z-
ers. owing to the supply being cut off
rom Germany. and also when We
asked him T. he thought that our farm.