Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1918-04-24
Agricultural Page overflow will be
found on Page Two.
Marketing Potatoes.

Many farmers this year are plan
ming on a much reduced acreage of
potatoes as compared with last year.
Two causes are in evidence. The hav-
oc wrought by bad attack of late
blight the past season and the immense
crop which has left a large surplus
on hand this spring. The first might
have been minimized to a large ex-
tent by systematic spraying, the sec
ond is condition that must be faced
occasionally. The past has shown
very clearly that the majority of po-
tatoes grown in Orleans county sim
Toms Cabin. They we're planted
with little or no attention to the quail
ity of the seed, whether or not disease
was present, and with little or no
spraying to prevent the ravages of
early or late blight or flea beetle in
jury; and such an assortment of va
rieties were planted that no definite
market could be established.
Market demands are something
that no grower or producer of any
product, whether agricultural or man.
ufactured, can ignore. The potato
market demands potatoes Of standard
varieties, uniformly graded, free from
disease and in good condition. 1t is
useless for any grower or group OF
growers to ship a carload of potatoes
of several varieties and expect to
realize the highest price on each vari-
ETY.. Growers need to think in units
larger than their own farm. Buyers
are interested in the quantity of po
tatoes of one variety raised in a
community. They want to buy in
carloads of Green Mountain or Irish
Cobblers, ETC., not in bushels of this
or that variety. The situation re-
solves itself into just this-if the
farmers Of the various communities
in this county will grow one stan
dard variety, OR at the outside, two,
they will be able to market their po-
tatoes to much better advantage. 1t
isn't case of whether man likes or
does not like to grow a certain varie-
ty but-will he join with his neighbor
in growing a certain variety that
better market may be secured there
by. And when this step has been
taken, it will be a simple matter for
the different growers to have their
fields inspected each year by the state
department Of agriculture and there
by sell certified seed to growers in the
South. Southern growers are anx-
ious to procure certified seed-seed
ciAeao CICy hIiOW dDSOluCc1y W Uc True
to name, of uniform size, and free
from disease. Such seed usually
brings from, ten to twenty-five cents
more per bushel than market potatoes
and the grower is put to very little
extra expense for the certifcation.
The farmers of Orleans county are
fortunate in having farmers ex-
change through which they may sell
as we'll as buy. Potatoes are one of
the standard cash crops of this coun-
ty and the Exchange within a year
or two should be able to market a
large amount of the potato crop of
this county, provided the growers will
do their part. Potato growing is not
a gamble-it is a business proposition
and profitable side-line to our dairy
farming. 1t is, however, gamble
for the man who thinks he can guess
the future and puts in a big acreage
one year and little or none the next.
The man ultimately wins out who
plants nearly uniform acreage each
year.
To summarize it may be said that
to make a success of potato growing
IN Orleans county, the following are
1. Community interest in one
standard variety.
2. Uniform grading.
3. Certified seed potatoes.
A. Attention to details such as |
treating seed, spraying for blight, etc.