Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-03-01
Selling There For About
Two Cents Each.
ARE AWAY UP.
Prices Are Soaring All the Time
Never Before Were Such
Conditions.

Bangor, Maine, contained some inter-
esting potato correspondence in it's
issue of Feb. 10, from which we con-
dense the following: Houlton CORES
pondense says that potatoes are SELL
ing strong at $500 a bag and that
many Aroostook families are doing
without potatoes on account of the
high price. Many of the families have
been without potatoes all winter ow-
ing to the fact that they cannot pur-
chase them.
at is estimated that there are about
, 600 potatoes in barrel. This makes
the price less than two cents each.
Many are economizing in the use of
pastry and desserts rather than cut
out the potato. A few, however, are
resorting to rice, hominy, macaroni
and other articles and cutting the po-
tato question.
| Many seem to think that the use of
| potatoes is but fashion Or habit, so
| to speak, which could be very well
cut out. Many, however, think other
wise and should the price soar to the
$40 notch, will still manager to have
at least once day the good old fash
ioned tuber On their tables.
| 1t is doubtful from present condi-
tions that the plant will be heavy the
coming season with the extreme high
prices paid, the average farmer will
probably sell himself short rather
than take chances on his crop. the
heavy expense of labor and other
| costs.
This is almost unheard of in Aroos-
took. AS a take-off one Of the promi-
nent jewelers. on Main street has 4
novelty in his show window in the
form OF magnificent gold chain. pen
dant style, with an Aroostook potato
as the centre germ. 1t is related that
there are children in Houlton who
hang about the vast potato sheds hon.
Ing for the gift Of potato or two for
their supper and many Of the poorer
children beg for a few for stews or
soups. This is a sad commentary on
Aroostook's reputation as a potato
growing section and goes to show al
though Aroostook holds the trump
card so far as the yield of potatoes
for the past season, yet nothwith-
standing the fact, there is scarcity
even in Aroostook county in many
homes'
The correspondence from Fort Fair
field, Maine, under date of Feb. 10
says: Again the potato prices are
smashing all precedents in the Fort
Fairfield markets. Friday, potatoes
in the Fort Fairfield markets were
selling for $500 barrel Before the
day had passed the prices had mount
ed to $3.50 and $7.S5. There seems
absolutely no limit to the prices to
which potatoes may go before the sea-
son is over. On Saturday. prices
| again took sudden rise and potatoes
at $500 We're an absolute reality that
price being paid for several loads
brought in by one of the growers. Re-
ports from several markets in the
town also showed that sS had become
the standard price for good stock.
Monday that quotation continued.
Ihat they will be selling for $40 be-
fore the market breaks is the predic-
tlon OF number OF the farmers. Quite
a few are taking advantage of the
present high prices, however, and are
selling out their stock as swiftly as
possible. few, however, are antici-
pating the fact that the seed stock
VIII be high the coming spring and
are holding their best stock for that
reason. To have potatoes selling for
81 is something new indeed for the
Aroostook farmer. Never in the his
tory of the country has Aroostook
stock amounted to such high levels
The earnings from this years crops
has served to place many of the far
mers on a footing independent from