Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-14
GRADE YOUR POTATOES IF
you WANT TO GET RESULTS

Why grade potatoes asks thu
| United States Food Administrator. am
| lie answers:
Because grading will bcncii; al
classes. In any business. the conf
| dcncc of the public is the foundation
of success. The consumer who knows
| he can always depend ON Il square
| deal IN regard TO the quality OF the
goods he buys soon develops Il dis
position to use those goods repeatedly
ana IN increasing quantities until his
full needs are met. This individual
thousands. or by millions. creates Il
tide reaching back to the very sources
o! the river OF supply.
Americans have NOT realized tho
food value and utility of tho potato
as have the peoples OF Europe. mainly
because they could not depend on the
quality. or even quantity. OF their pur-
chaScs: and have too often paid :.
good price for Il very poor lot Of po-
tatocS. Very frequently. before vol
untary grading by far-secinc potato
growers and shippers had Somewhst
bettered general conditions. tho con-
sumner who bought a bushcl of pota-
toes might find on top Of tho baSll ct
half-dozcr choice "bakcrs. then a
peck or two Of good, or disable boil
ing tubcrs another peck so small the ;.
could not be peeled without great loss.
larger or smaller fraction Of tubcrs
that could only be thrown away. and
often collection Of dirt. stones. sticks
and other trash that completely dis
couraScd further desire for potatoes.
II the tuberS were of one variety. or
even one type. il was more by acct
dent than by intelligent selection OF
seed for the crop, or by judicious sort
ing by grower or shipper. Potatoes
differ greatly. and the tuhcrs OF one
variety hc fla; I,. n
traciiNe when taken from the oven in
their bright, brown Sk ms: while an
other variety may he hard. soggy and
unpalttabic-uSablc only after long
boiling and MASKING or ricinE. Mix
ing two or more types in lot, when
the purchaser cannot separate GOOD
from poor before use, can lead only
TO dissatisfaction.
Largely because OF this lack OF de-
pendabiiity. we Americans cat only two
and one-haif bushels of potatoes apiece
each year; the English or French more
than three times as many. There ca..
be no question that il potatoes OF the
same character, same shape and APP
proXinlatcly the same size we're sold
in response to each consumers de-
mand. with a range in quality to sat.
iStE all tastes. and with prices to NEE,
the needs Of all purses, tho consu5np-
ton of potatoes might soon he doubled.
with benefit alike 10 producer. handler.
ana consumer. As step in tho right
direction the food administration re-
ouircs that all potatoes sold by
licensed dealers shall be practically
Tree from frost injury and decay, ana
free from serious damage due to dirt.
sunburn. diseases. insects or mcchani-
ca means. and that they be handled
on the hundrcdw eight basis. Tho food
administration, cooperating with tne
Department Of Agriculture, also rec
onmendS sorting potatoes into two
grades.
The administration believes II would
be to the producers ADVANTAGE to
grade the potatoes before they leave
tho farm. and the dealer might find
1t profitable TO make a higher grade;
but general knowledge of the two
grades established. and purchase OF
potatoes only when SO graded should
help materially to move our large crop
OF 1917.